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HE -DECORATIVE' 
ILLUSTRMIOK- 

~~\S™\\~   C       <•      T3V 

OOK5  •  BY* 


THE     EX-LIBRIS    SERIES.      EDITED  BY 
GLEESON  WHITE. 

THE   DECORATIVE    ILLUSTRATION 
OF    BOOKS.       BY  WALTER    CRANE. 


GBSi 


F  THE  DECORATIVE 
ILLUSTRATION  OF 
OOKS  OLD  AND  NEW 
BY  WALTER  CRANE 


*')NDON:  GEORGE  BELL  AND  SONS 
)RK  HOUSE,  PORTUGAL  STREET,  W.C. 
EW  YORK:  66  FIFTH  AVENUE 
DCCCCV 


023 


.  2 


PRINTED  AT  THE  CHISWICK  PRESS  BY 
CHARLES  WHITTINGHAM  &  CO.  TOOKS 
COURT,  CHANCERY  LANE,  LONDON,  E.G. 
AND  FIRST  PUBLISHED  DECEMBER,  1896 
SECOND  EDITION,  REVISED,  FEB.  1901 
THIRD  EDITION,  REVISED,  JAN.  1905 


PREFACE. 

HIS  book  had  its  origin  in  the 
course  of  three  (Cantor)  Lectures 
given  before  the  Society  of  Arts  in 
1889;  they  have  been  amplified 
and  added  to,  and  further  chapters 
have  been  written,  treating  of  the 
very  active  period  in  printing  and  decorative  book- 
illustration  we  have  seen  since  that  time,  as  well 
as  some  remarks  and  suggestions  touching  the 
general  principles  and  conditions  governing  the 
design  of  book  pages  and  ornaments. 

It  is  not  nearly  so  complete  or  comprehensive  as 
I  could  have  wished,  but  there  are  natural  limits  to 
the  bulk  of  a  volume  in  the  "  Ex-Libris"  series,  and 
it  has  been  only  possible  to  carry  on  such  a  work 
in  the  intervals  snatched  from  the  absorbing  work 
of  designing.  Within  its  own  lines,  however,  I 
hope  that  if  not  exhaustive,  the  book  may  be  found 
fairly  representative  of  the  chief  historical  and 
contemporary  types  of  decorative  book-illustration. 
In  the  selection  of  the  illustrations,  I  have 
endeavoured  to  draw  the  line  between  the  purely 
graphic  aim,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  ornamental 
aim  on  the  other — between  what  I  should  term  the 
art  of  pictorial  statement  and  the  art  of  decorative 
treatment ;  though  there  are  many  cases  in  which 
they  are  combined,  as,  indeed,  in  all  the  most 
complete  book-pictures,  they  should  be.  My 
purpose  has  been  to  treat  of  illustrations  which  are 
also  book-ornaments,  so  that  purely  graphic  design, 
as  such,  unrelated  to  the  type,  and  the  conditions 
of  the  page,  does  not  come  within  my  scope. 

As  book-illustration  pure  and  simple,  however, 
has  been  treated  of  in  this  series  by  Mr.  Joseph 

v 


PREFACE. 

Pennell,  whose  selection  is  more  from  the  graphic 
than  the  decorative  point  of  view,  the  balance  may 
be  said  to  be  adjusted  as  regards  contemporary  art. 

I  must  offer  my  best  thanks  to  Mr.  Gleeson 
White,  without  whose  most  valuable  help  the  book 
might  never  have  been  finished.  He  has  allowed 
me  to  draw  upon  his  remarkable  collection  of 
modern  illustrated  books  for  examples,  and  I  am 
indebted  to  many  artists  for  permission  to  use  their 
illustrations,  as  well  as  to  Messrs.  George  Allen, 
Bradbury,  Agnew  and  Co.,  J.  M.  Dent  and  Co., 
Edmund  Evans,  Geddes  and  Co.,  Hacon  and 
Ricketts  (the  Vale  Press),  John  Lane,  Lawrence 
and  Bullen,  Sampson  Low  and  Co.,  Macmillan 
and  Co.,  Elkin  Mathews,  Kegan  Paul  and  Co., 
Walter  Scott,  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  and  Virtue 
and  Co.,  for  their  courtesy  in  giving  me,  in  many 
cases,  the  use  of  the  actual  blocks. 

To  Mr.  William  Morris,  who  placed  his  beautiful 
collection  of  early  printed  books  at  my  disposal, 
from  which  to  choose  illustrations  ;  to  Mr.  Emery 
Walker  for  help  in  many  ways  ;  to  Mr.  John  Calvert 
for  permission  to  use  some  of  his  father's  illustra- 
tions ;  and  to  Mr.  A.  W.  Pollard  who  has  lent 
me  some  of  his  early  Italian  examples,  and  has 
also  supervised  my  bibliographical  particulars,  I 
desire  to  make  my  cordial  acknowledgments. 

WALTER   CRANE. 


KENSINGTON  :  July  i8/$,  1896. 


VI 


NOTE  TO  THIRD  EDITION. 
REPRINT  of  this  book  being 
called  for,  I  take  the  opportunity 
of  adding"  a  few  notes,  chiefly  to 
Chapter  IV.,  which  will  be  found 
further  on  with  the  numbers  of  the 
pages  to  which  they  refer. 
As  touching  the  general  subject  of  the  book  one 
may,  perhaps,  be  allowed  to  record  with  some 
satisfaction  that  the  study  of  lettering,  text-writing, 
and  illumination  is  now  seriously  taken  up  in  our 
craft-schools.  The  admirable  teaching  of  Mr. 
Johnston  of  the  Central  School  of  Arts  and  Crafts 
and  the  Royal  College  of  Art  in  this  connection 
cannot  be  too  highly  spoken  of.  We  have  had, 
too,  admirable  work,  in  each  kind,  from  Mr. 
Reuter,  Mr.  Mortimer,  Mr.  Treglown,  Mr.  Alan 
Vigers,  Mr.  Graily  Hewitt,  and  Mr.  A.  E.  R.  Gill; 
and  Mrs.Traguairand  Miss  Kingsford  are  remark- 
able for  the  beauty,  delicacy,  and  invention  of  their 
work  as  illuminators  among  the  artists  who  are 
now  pursuing  this  beautiful  branch  of  art. 

So  that  the  ancient  crafts  of  the  scribe  and 
illuminator  may  be  said  to  have  again  come  to 
life,  and  this,  taken  in  connection  with  the  revival 
of  printing  as  an  art,  is  an  interesting  and  signifi- 
cant fact. 

As  recent  contributions  to  the  study  of  lettering 
we  have  Mr.  Lewis  F.  Day's  recent  book  of 
Alphabets,  and  Mr.  G.  Woolliscroft  Rhead's  sheets 
for  school  use. 

I  have  to  deplore  the  loss  of  my  former  helper 
in  this  book,  Mr.  Gleeson  White,  since  the  work 
first  appeared.  His  extensive  knowledge  of,  and 
sympathy  with  the  modern  book  illustrators  of 
the  younger  generation  was  remarkable,  and  as  a 

vii 


NOTE  TO  THIRD  EDITION. 

designer  himself  he  showed  considerable  skill  and 
taste  in  book-decoration,  chiefly  in  the  way  of 
covers.  As  a  most  estimable  and  amiable  character 
he  will  always  be  remembered  by  his  friends. 

WALTER  CRANE. 

KENSINGTON  :  June,  1904. 


Viil 


CONTENTS. 
IHAPTER    i.  —  OF    THE    EVOLUTION   OF 

THE  ILLUSTRATIVE  AND  DECORA- 
TIVE IMPULSE  FROM  THE  EARLIEST 
TIMES  ;  AND  OF  THE  FIRST  PERIOD 
OF  DECORATIVELY  ILLUSTRATED 
BOOKS  IN  THE  ILLUMINATED  MSS. 
OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES.  I. 

CHAPTER  II.  -  OF  THE  TRANSITION,  AND  OF  THE 
SECOND  PERIOD  OF  DECORATIVELY  ILLUSTRATED 
BOOKS,  FROM  THE  INVENTION  OF  PRINTING  IN 
THE  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY  ONWARDS.  45. 
CHAPTER  III.  —  OF  THE  PERIOD  OF  THE  DECLINE  OF 
DECORATIVE  FEELING  IN  BOOK  DESIGN  AFTER 
THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY,  AND  OF  THE 
MODERN  REVIVAL.  125. 

CHAPTER  IV.  —  OF  RECENT  DEVELOPMENT  OF  DE- 
CORATIVE BOOK  ILLUSTRATION,  AND  THE 
MODERN  REVIVAL  OF  PRINTING  AS  AN  ART. 


CHAPTER  V.  -  OF  GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  IN  DESIGN- 
ING BOOK  ORNAMENTS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS  I 
CONSIDERATION  OF  ARRANGEMENT,  SPACING 
AND  TREATMENT.  279. 

INDEX.       329. 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

GERMAN  SCHOOL,  XVTH  CENTURY.  PAGE 

"  Leiden  Christi."     (Bamberg,  1470)    .....  3 

Boccaccio,  "  De  Claris  Mulieribus."     (Ulm,  1473).  7>  Ir 
"Buch  von  den  sieben  Todsiinden."      (Augsburg, 

1474)    .............  15 

"Speculum  Humanae  Vitae."     Augsburg,  dr.  1475)  *7 

Bible.     (Cologne,  1480)      .........  21 

Terrence  :  "  Eunuchus."     (Ulm,  1486)      ....  27 

"  Chronica  Hungariae."     (Augsburg,  1488)     ...  35 

"  Hortus  Sanitatis."     (Mainz,  1491)      .....  39 

"  Chroneken  der  Sassen."     (Mainz,  1492)      ...  41 

Bible.     (Lubeck,  1494)       .........  47 

Fables."     (Ulm,  1498)  .......  53 


FLEMISH   AND  DUTCH   SCHOOLS,    XVTH   CENTURY. 

"  Spiegel  onser  Behoudenisse."     (Kuilenburg,  1483)  25 

"Life  of  Christ."     (Antwerp,  1487)  ......  31 

FRENCH  SCHOOL,  XVTH  CENTURY. 

"La  Mer  des  Histoires."     Initial.     (Paris,  1488)    .  37 

"  Paris  et  Vienne."     (Paris,  dr.  1495)  .....  51 

ITALIAN   SCHOOL,    XVTH    CENTURY. 

"  De  Claris  Mulieribus."     (Ferrara,  1497).     ...  54 

Tuppo's  "^Esop."     (Naples,  1485)  ......  55 

P.  Cremonese's  "  Dante."     (Venice,  1491)     .     .     .  56 

"  Discovery  of  the  Indies."     (Florence,  1493)     .     .  57 

"  Fior  di  Virtu."     (Florence,  1498)  ......  58 

Stephanus  Caesenas  :  "  Expositio  Beati  Hieronymi  in 

Psalterium."     (Venice,  1498)     ......  59 

"Poliphili  Hypnerotomachia."     (Venice,  1499)  .      63,65 

Ketham's  "  Fasciculus  Medicinae."     (Venice,  1493)  295 

Pomponius  Mela.     (Venice,  1478)    ......  297 

ITALIAN    SCHOOL,    XVITH    CENTURY. 

Artist  Unknown.    Bernadino  Corio.    (Milan,  Minu- 

ziano,  1503)  ............  67 

School  of  Bellini  :    "  Suppletnentum    Supplementi 

Chronicarum,  etc."     (Venice,  1506)  ....  69 

"  The  Descent  of  Minerva  "  :  from  the  Quatriregio. 

(Florence,  1508)     ..........  71 

Aulus  Gellius.     (Venice,  1509)    .......  73 

Quintilian.     (Venice,  1512)     ........  73 

X 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

ITALIAN    SCHOOL,    XVITH    CENTURY — continued.  PAGE 

Ottaviano  del  Petrucci.     (Fossombrone,  1513)  .     .  77 

Ambrosius  Calepinus.     (Tosculano,  1520)     .     .     .  121 
Artist   unknown :    Portrait   title :    Ludovico    Dolci, 

1561.      (Venice,  Giolito,  1562) 133 

GERMAN    SCHOOL,    XVITH   CENTURY. 

/^'Albrecht  Diirer:    "Kleine  Passion."     (Nuremberg, 

1512) 81,  83,  85 

Albrecht  Diirer:    "Plutarchus  Chaeroneus."     (Nu- 
remberg, 1513) 87 

Albrecht  Diirer:   "Plutarchus  Chaeroneus."     (Nu- 
remberg, 1523) 89 

,     Hans  Holbein  :  "  Dance  of  Death."     (Lyons,  1538)  91,  92 
Hans   Holbein:    Title-page:    Gallia.      (Basel,    dr. 

iS24) 93 

Hans  Holbein  :  Bible  Cuts.     (Lyons,  1538)   .     .      95,96 
Ambrose    Holbein:  "Neues  Testament."    (Basel, 

1523) 97 

Hans  Burgmair  :  "  Der  Weiss  Konig."     (1512-14)  .       99 
Hans  Burgmair :  "  lornandes  de  Rebus  Gothorum." 

(Augsburg,  1516) 101 

Hans  Burgmair :  "  Pliny's  Natural  History."  (Frank- 
fort, 1582) 103 

Hans  Burgmair :    "  Meerfahrt  zu  viln  onerkannten 

Inseln,"  etc.     (Augsburg,  1509) 105 

Hans  Baldung  Griin  :  "  Hortulus  Animae."     (Strass- 

burg,  1511) 107,  108,  109,  no 

Hans  Wachtlin  :  Title  Page.     (Strassburg,  1513)     .     in 
Hans  Sebald  Beham  :  "  Das  Papstthum  mit  seinen 

Gliedern."     (Nuremberg,  1526) 113 

Reformation  der  bayrischen  Landrecht.     (Munich, 

1518) 117 

Fuchsius  :  "  De  Historia  Stirpium."     (Basel,  1542).     123 
Virgil  Solis :  Bible.     (Frankfort,  1563)      ....     131 
Johann  Otmar  :  "  Pomerium  de  Tempore."     (Augs- 
burg, 1502)    .<..?    . ...... •.;.*< 147 

FRENCH    SCHOOL,    XVITH    CENTURY. 

Oronce  Fin£ :  "  Quadrans  Astrolabicus."  (Paris,  1534)     127 

MODERN    ILLUSTRATION. 

^  William  Blake:  "Songs  of  Innocence,"  1789      .     .     137 

xi 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

MODERN   ILLUSTRATION — Continued.  PAGE 

William  Blake:  "Phillip's  Pastoral" 139 

Edward  Calvert:  Original  Woodcuts:  "The  Lady 
and  the  Rooks,"  "The  Return  Home,"  "Chamber 
Idyll,"  "The  Flood,"  "Ideal  Pastoral  Life," 

"The  Brook,"  1827-29 141,143 

Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti :  "Tennyson's  Poems,"  1857  151 
Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti :  "  Early  Italian  Poets,"  1861  153 
Albert  Moore:  "Milton's  Ode  on  the  Nativity," 

1867 155 

Henry  Holiday :  Cover  for  "Aglaia,"  1893  .  .  .  157 
Randolph  Caldecott :  Headpiece  to  "Bracebridge 

Hall,"  1877 158 

Kate  Greenaway  :  Title  Page  of  "  Mother  Goose  "  .  159 
Arthur  Hughes  :  "  At  the  Back  of  the  North  Wind," 

1871 160,  161 

Arthur  Hughes:    "Mercy"  ("Good  Words  for  the 

Young,"  1871) 304 

Robert  Bateman  :  "Art  in  the  House,"  1876.     .     .    162, 

163,  164,  165 
Hey  wood  Sumner  :  Peard's  "  Stories  for  Children," 

1896 167,  170 

Charles    Keene:     "A    Good    Fight."     ("Once  a 

Week,"  1859) 169 

Louis  Davis :  "  Sleep,  Baby,  Sleep  "  ("  English  Illus- 
trated Magazine,"  1892) 171 

Henry  Ryland  :  "  Forget  not  yet "  ("  English  Illus- 
trated Magazine,"  1894) 173 

Frederick  Sandys:  "The  Old  Chartist"  ("Once  a 

Week,"  1861) 175 

M.  J.  Lawless:  "Dead  Love"  ("Once  a  Week," 

1862) 177 

Walter  Crane:  Grimm's  "Household  Stories,"  1882  179 
Walter  Crane:  "Princess  Fiorimonde,"  1880  .  .  181 
Walter  Crane  :  "The  Sirens  Three,"  1886  ...  183 
Selwyn  Image:  "Scottish  Art  Review,"  1889  .  .  187 
William  Morris  and  Walter  Crane :  "  The  Glittering 

Plain,"  1894 191,  290,  291 

C.M.Gere:  "Midsummer"   ("English   Illustrated 

Magazine,"  1893) 195 

C.  M.  Gere:  "The  Birth  of  St.  George"  ....  197 
Arthur  Gaskin:  "Hans  Andersen,"  1893  .  .  .  .  199 

xii 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

MODERN    ILLUSTRATION Continued.  PAGB 

R  H.  New:  "Bridge  Street,  Evesham"  ....  201 
Inigo  Thomas  :  "The  Formal  Garden,"  1892  .  204,  205 
Henry  Payne:  "  A  Book  of  Carols,"  1893  .  .  .  .  209 
F.  Mason:  "Huon  of  Bordeaux,"  1895  .  .  .  .  211 
Gertrude,  M.  Bradley  :"  The  Cherry  Festival,"  .  .  213 

Mary  Newill :  Porlock 215 

Celia  Levetus  :  A  Bookplate 217 

C.  S.  Ricketts:  "Hero  and  Leander,"  1894    .     .     .     219 
C.  S.  Ricketts:  "Daphnisand  Chloe,"  1893  ...     223 
C.  H.  Shannon:  "Daphnis  and  Chloe,"  1893      .     .     224 
Aubrey  Beardsley :   '  Morte d' Arthur,"  1893   225,  226,  227 
Edmund  J.  Sullivan:  "Sartor  Resartus,"  1898   .     .     228 
Patten  Wilson  :  A  Pen  Drawing  .......     229 

Laurence  Housman  :  "The  House  of  Joy,"  1895    .     231 

L.  Fairfax  Muckley  :  "Frangilla"          233 

Charles  Robinson :  "A  Child's  Garden  of  Verse," 

1895 235,  237,  239 

J.  D.  Batten  :  "  The  Arabian  Nights,"  1893  -  241,  242 
R.  Anning  Bell :  "  A  Midsummer  Night's  Dream," 

1895 243 

R.  Anning  Bell :  "Beauty  and  the  Beast,"  1894      .  245 

R.  Spence  :  A  Pen  Drawing 247 

A.  Garth  Jones:  "A  Tournament  of  Love,"  1894  .  249 
William  Strang  :  "Baron  Munchausen,"  1895     .  251,  253 
H.  Granville  Fell:  "Cinderella,"  1894      ....  254 
John  Duncan  :  "Apollo's  Schooldays"  ("The  Ever- 
green," 1895) 255 

John  Duncan :    "  Pipes  of  Arcady  "  ("  The  Ever- 
green," 1895) 257 

Robert  Burns :  "The  Passer-By"  ("The  Evergreen," 

1895) 259 

Mary  Sargant  Florence  :  "  The  Crystal  Ball,"  1894  .  261 
Paul  Woodroffe:  "Ye  Second  Book  of  Nursery 

Rhymes,"  1896 263 

Paul  Woodroffe :  "Ye  Book  of  Nursery  Rhymes,"  1895  265 

M.  Rijsselberghe:  "Dietrich's  Almanack,"  1894     .  266 

Walter  Crane:  "Spenser's  Faerie  Queen,"  1896      .  269, 

281,  233,  285 

Howard  Pyle  :  "  Otto  of  the  Silver  Hand  "  .  271,  273 
Will.  H.  Bradley :  Covers  for  "The  Inland  Printer," 

l894 274 

xiii 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

MODERN    ILLUSTRATION Continued.  PAGE 

Will.    H.    Bradley:    Prospectus  for   "Bradley   His 

Book,"  1896 275 

Will.  H.  Bradley:  Design  for  "The  Chap  Book," 

1895 277 

Alan  Wright :  Headpieces  from  "  The  Story  of  My 

House,"  1892 .  •  .  305,  335 

The  untitled  tailpieces  throughout  this  volume  are 
from  Grimm's  "  Household  Stories,"  illustrated 
by  Walter  Crane.  (Macmillan,  1882.) 

APPENDIX   OF   HALF-TONE    BLOCKS. 

I.  Book  of  Kells.     Irish,  Vlth  century. 
II.,  III.,  IV.  Arundel    Psalter.      English,   XlVth    century. 

(Arundel  MSS.  83  B.  M.) 
V.  Epistle  of  Phillipe  de  Comines  to  Richard  II.     French, 

XlVth  century.     (Royal  MSS.  20  B.  vi.  B.  M.) 
VI.,  VII.  Bedford  Hours.     (MSS.  18,  850  B.  M.) 
VIII.  Romance  of  the   Rose.     English,   late  XVth  century. 

(Hast.  MSS.  4,  425.) 

IX.  Choir  Book.     Siena.     Italian,  XVth  century. 
X.,  XL  Hokusai.     Japanese,  XlXth  century. 


XIV 


CHAPTER  I.  OF  THE  EVOLUTION  OF 
THE  ILLUSTRATIVE  AND  DECORA- 
TIVE IMPULSE  FROM  THE  EARLIEST 
TIMES;  AND  OF  THE  FIRST  PERIOD 
OF  DECORATIVELY  ILLUSTRATED 
BOOKS  IN  THE  ILLUMINATED  MSS. 
OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 

Y  subject  is  a  large  one,  and 
touches  more  intimately,  perhaps, 
than  other  forms  of  art,  both 
human  thought  and  history,  so 
that  it  would  be  extremely  diffi- 
cult to  treat  it  exhaustively  upon 
all  its  sides.  I  shall  not  attempt 
to  deal  with  it  from  the  historical  or  antiquarian 
points  of  view  more  than  may  be  necessary  to 
elucidate  the  artistic  side,  on  which  I  propose 
chiefly  to  approach  the  question  of  design  as 
applied  to  books—or,  more  strictly,  the  book 
page — which  I  shall  hope  to  illustrate  by  repro- 
ductions of  characteristic  examples  from  different 
ages  and  countries. 

I  may,  at  least,  claim  to  have  been  occupied,  in 
a  practical  sense,  with  the  subject  more  or  less,  as 
part  of  my  work,  both  as  a  decorator  and  illustrator 
of  books,  for  the  greater  part  of  my  life,  and  such 
conclusions  as  I  have  arrived  at  are  based  upon  the 
results  of  personal  thought  and  experience,  if  they 
are  also  naturally  coloured  and  influenced  from  the 
same  sources. 

All  forms  of  art  are  so  closely  connected  with 
life  and  thought,  so  bound  up  with  human  con- 
ditions, habits,  and  customs ;  so  intimately  and 
vividly  do  they  reflect  every  phase  and  change  of 


THE   FIRST   PERIOD. 

that  unceasing  movement — the  ebb  and  flow  of 
human  progress  amid  the  forces  of  nature  we  call 
history — that  it  is  hardly  possible  even  for  the 
most  careless  stroller,  taking  any  of  the  by-paths, 
not  to  be  led  insensibly  to  speculate  on  their 
hidden  sources,  and  an  origin  perhaps  common  to 
them  all. 

The  story  of  man  is  fossilized  for  us,  as  it  were, 
or  rather  preserved,  with  all  its  semblance  of  life 
and  colour,  in  art  and  books.     The  procession  of 
history  reaching  far  back  into  the  obscurity  of  the 
forgotten  or  inarticulate  past,  is  reflected,  with  all 
its  movement,  gold  and  colour,  in  the  limpid  stream 
of  design,   that  mirror-like,   paints  each   passing 
phase  for  us,  and  illustrates  each  act  in  the  drama. 
In  the  language  of  line  and  of  letters,  of  symbol 
and  picture,  each  age  writes   its  own  story  and 
character,  as  page  after  page  is  turned  in  the  book 
of  time.     Here  and  there  the  continuity  of  the 
chapters  is  broken,  a  page  is  missing,  a  passage  is 
obscure ;  there  are  breaks  and  fragments — heroic 
torsos  and  limbs  instead  of  whole  figures.      But 
more  and  more,  by  patient  research,  labour,  and 
comparison,  the  voids  are  being   filled  up,  until 
some  day  perhaps  there  will  be  no  chasm  of  con- 
jecture in  which  to  plunge,  but  the  volume  of  art 
and  human  history  will  be  as  clear  as  pen  and 
pencil  can  make  it,  and  only  left  for  a  present  to 
continue,  and  a  future  to  carry  to  a  completion 
which  is  yet  never  complete. 

If  painting  is  the  looking-glass  of  nations  and 
periods,  pictured-books  may  be  called  the  hand- 
glass which  still  more  intimately  reflects  the  life 
of  different  centuries  and  peoples,  in  all  their 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


LEIDEN   CHRISTI.  (fiAMBERG,    ALBRECHT   PFISTER,  1470.) 

3 


ILLUMINATED  MSS. 

minute  and  homely  detail  and  quaint  domesticity, 
as  well  as  their  playful  fancies,  their  dreams,  and 
aspirations.  While  the  temples  and  the  tombs  of 
ancient  times  tell  us  of  the  pomp  and  splendour 
and  ambition  of  kings,  and  the  stories  of  their 
conquests  and  tyrannies,  the  illuminated  MSS.  of 
the  Middle  Ages  show  us,  as  well  as  these,  the 
more  intimate  life  of  the  people,  their  sports  and 
their  jests,  their  whim  and  fancy,  their  work  and 
their  play,  no  less  than  the  mystic  and  religious 
and  ceremonial  side  of  that  life,  which  was,  indeed, 
an  inseparable  part  of  it ;  the  whole  worked  in  as 
with  a  kind  of  embroidery  of  the  pen  and  brush, 
with  the  most  exquisite  sense  of  decorative  beauty. 

Mr.  Herbert  Spencer,  in  the  course  of  his 
enunciation  of  the  philosophy  of  evolution,  speaks 
of  the  book  and  the  newspaper  lying  on  the  table 
of  the  modern  citizen  as  connected  through  a  long 
descent  with  the  hieroglyphic  inscriptions  of  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  and  the  picture-writing  of  still 
earlier  times.  We  might  go  (who  knows  how 
much  further  ?)  back  into  prehistoric  obscurity  to 
find  the  first  illustrator,  pure  and  simple,  in  the 
hunter  of  the  cave,  who  recorded  the  incidents  of 
his  sporting  life  on  the  bones  of  his  victims. 

We  know  that  the  letters  of  our  alphabet  were 
once  pictures,  symbols,  or  abstract  signs  of  entities 
and  actions,  and  grew  more  and  more  abstract  until 
they  became  arbitrary  marks — thefamiliar  characters 
that  we  know.  Letters  formed  into  words  ;  words 
increased  and  multiplied  with  ideas  and  their  inter- 
change ;  ideas  and  words  growing  more  and  more 
abstract  until  the  point  is  reached  when  the  jaded 
intellect  would  fain  return  again  to  picture-writing, 

5 


THE   FIRST   PERIOD. 

and  welcomes  the  decorator  and  the  illustrator  to 
relieve  the  desert  wastes  of  words  marshalled  in 
interminable  columns  on  the  printed  page. 

In  a  journey  through  a  book  it  is  pleasant  to 
reach  the  oasis  of  a  picture  or  an  ornament,  to  sit 
awhile  under  the  palms,  to  let  our  thoughts  unbur- 
dened stray,  to  drink  of  other  intellectual  waters, 
and  to  see  the  ideas  we  have  been  pursuing, 
perchance,  reflected  in  them.  Thus  we  end  as  we 
begin,  with  images. 

Temples  and  tombs  have  been  man's  biggest 
books,  but  with  the  development  of  individual  life 
(as  well  as  religious  ritual,  and  the  necessity  of 
records,)  he  felt  the  need  of  something  more 
familiar,  companionable,  and  portable,  and  having, 
in  the  course  of  time,  invented  the  stylus,  and  the 
pen,  and  tried  his  hand  upon  papyrus,  palm  leaf, 
and  parchment,  he  wrote  his  records  or  his 
thoughts,  and  pictured  or  symbolized  them,  at 
first  upon  scrolls  and  rolls  and  tablets,  or,  later, 
enshrined  them  in  bound  books,  with  all  the 
beauty  that  the  art  of  writing  could  command, 
enriched  and  emphasized  with  the  pictorial  and 
ornamental  commentary  in  colours  and  gold. 

As  already  indicated,  it  is  my  purpose  to  deal 
with  the  artistic  aspects  of  the  book  page,  and 
therefore  we  are  not  now  concerned  with  the 
various  forms  of  the  book  itself,  as  such,  or  with 
the  treatment  of  its  exterior  case,  cover,  or  bind- 
ing. It  is  the  open  book  I  wish  to  dwell  on — the 
page  itself  as  a  field  for  the  designer  and  illus- 
trator— a  space  to  be  made  beautiful  in  design. 

Both  decorated  and  illustrated  books  may  be 
divided  broadly  into  two  great  periods  : 

6 


THE  TWO   GREAT  DIVISIONS. 

I.  The  MS.,  or  period  before  printing. 

II.  The  period  of  printed  books. 

Both  illustrate,  however,  a  long  course  of  evolu- 
tion, and  contain  in  themselves,  it  might  be  said, 
a  compendium — or  condensation — of  the  history  of 
contemporary  art  in  its  various  forms  of  develop- 
ment. The  first  impulse  in  art  seems  to  answer 
to  the  primitive  imitative  impulse  in  children — the 
desire  to  embody  the  familiar  forms  about  them — 
to  characterize  them  in  line  and  colour.  The 
salient  points  of  an  animal,  for  instance,  being  first 
emphasized — as  in  the  bone  scratchings  of  the 
cave  men — so  that  children's  drawings  and  draw- 
ings of  primitive  peoples  present  a  certain  family 
likeness,  allowing  for  difference  of  environment. 
They  are  abstract,  and  often  almost  symbolic  in 
their  characterization  of  form,  and  it  is  not  difficult 
to  imagine  how  letters  and  written  language  became 
naturally  evolved  through  a  system  of  hierogly- 
phics, starting  from  the  unsystemized  but  irrepres- 
sible tendency  of  the  human  to  record  his  linear 
ideas  of  rhythm  on  the  one  hand,  or  his  impressions 
of  nature  on  the  other.  It  would  seem  that  the 
illustrator  or  picture  writer  came  first  in  the  order 
of  things,  and  the  book  afterwards — like  the  system 
we  have  heard  of  under  modern  editors  of  maga- 
zines, of  the  picture  being  done  first  and  then 
written  up  to,  or  down  to,  by  the  author. 

Side  by  side  with  the  evolution  of  letters  and 
calligraphic  art  went  on  the  evolution  of  the  graphic 
power  and  the  artistic  sense,  developing  on  the 
one  hand  towards  close  imitation  of  nature  and 
dramatic  incident,  and  on  the  other  towards  imagi- 
native beauty,  and  systematic,  organic  ornament, 

9 


THE   FIRST  PERIOD. 

more  or  less  built  upon  a  geometric  basis,  but 
ultimately  bursting  into  a  free  foliation  and  flam- 
boyant blossom,  akin  in  inventive  richness  and 
variety  to  a  growth  of  nature  herself.  The  de- 
velopment of  these  two  main  directions  of  artistic 
energy  may  be  followed  throughout  the  whole 
world  of  art,  constantly  struggling,  as  it  were,  for 
the  ascendancy,  now  one  and  now  the  other  being 
paramount ;  but  the  history  of  their  course,  and 
the  effect  of  their  varying  influences  is  particularly 
marked  in  the  decoration  and  illustration  of  books. 

Although  as  a  rule  the  decorative  sense  was 
dominant  throughout  the  illuminated  books  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  the  illustrator,  in  the  form  of  the 
miniaturist,  is  in  evidence,  and  in  some,  especially 
in  the  later  MSS.,  finally  conquers,  or  rather 
absorbs,  the  decorator. 

There  is  a  MS.  in  the  Egerton  collection  in  the 
British  Museum  (No.  943),  "The  Divina  Corn- 
media  "  of  Dante,  with  miniatures  by  Italian  artists 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  which  may  be  taken  as  an 
early  instance  of  the  ascendancy  of  the  illustrator, 
the  miniatures  being  placed  somewhat  abruptly  on 
the  page,  and  with  unusually  little  framework  or 
associated  ornament ;  and  although  more  or  less 
decorative  in  the  effect  of  their  simple  design,  and 
frank  and  full  colour,  the  main  object  of  their 
artists  was  to  illustrate  rather  than  to  decorate  the 
text. 

The  Celtic  genius,  under  the  influence  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  as  representing  the  art  of  the  early 
Christian  Western  civilization — exemplified  in  the 
remarkable  designs  in  the  Book  of  Kells — was,  on 
the  other  hand,  strictly  ornamental  in  its  manifes- 
to 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


FROM   BOCCACCIO,   DE   CLARIS    MULIERIBUS.  (ULM,   JOHANN   ZAINER,    I473-) 

II 


THE   BOOK   OF   KELLS. 

tations,   suggesting   in    its    richness,    and   in    the 
intricacy  and  ingenuity  of  its  involved  patterns, 
as  well  as  the  geometric  forms  of  many  of  its 
units,  a  relation  to  certain  characteristics  of  Eastern  *^ 
as  well  as  primitive  Greek  art. 

The  Book  of  Kells  derives  its  name  from  the   t 
Columban  Monastery  of  Kells  or  Kenlis,  origin- 
ally Cennanas,  a  place  of  ancient  importance  in 
the  county  of  Meath,  Ireland,  and  it  is  supposed 
to  have  been  the  Great  Gospel  brought  to  the 
Christian  settlement  by  its  founder,  St.  Columba, 
and  perhaps  written  by  that  saint,  who  died  in  the 
year  597.     The  original  volume  is  in  the  library  */ 
of  Trinity  College,  Dublin. 

In  one  of  the  pages  of  this  book  is  represented 
the  Greek  monogram  of  Christ,  and  the  whole 
page  is  devoted  to  three  words,  Christi  Autem 
Generatio.  It  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  an 
ornamental  initial  spreading  over  an  entire  page. 
The  effect  of  the  whole  as  a  decoration  is  per- 
haps what  might  be  called  heavy,  but  it  is  full  of 
marvellous  detail  and  richness,  and  highly  charac- 
teristic of  Celtic  forms  of  ornamental  design  (see 
No.  i,  Appendix). 

The  work  of  the  scribe,  as  shown  in  the  form  of 
the  ordinary  letters  of  the  text,  is  very  fine.  They 
are  very  firm  and  strong  in  character,  to  balance 
the  closely  knit  and  firmly  built  ornamentation  of 
the  initial  letters  and  other  ornaments  of  the  pages. 
We  feel  that  they  have  a  dignity,  a  distinction,  and 
a  character  all  their  own. 

There  is  a  page  in  the  same  book  where  the 
symbols  of  the  evangelists  are  inclosed  in  circles, 
and  panelled  in  a  solid  framing  occupying  the 

13 


THE  FIRST  PERIOD. 

whole  page,  which  suggests  Byzantine  feeling  in 

design. 

The  full  pages  in  the  earlier  illuminated  MSS. 
were  often  panelled  out  in  four  or  more  compart- 
ments to  hold  figures  of  saints,  or  emblems,  and  in 
the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  such  panels 
generally  had  small  patterned  diapered  back- 
grounds, on  dark  blue,  red,  green,  or  burnished  gold. 

The  Anglo-Saxon  MSS.  show  traces  of  the  in- 
fluence of  the  traditions  of  Classic  art  drawn  through 
the  Byzantine,  or  from  the  Roman  sources,  which 
naturally  affected  the  earliest  forms  of  Christian 
art  as  we  see  its  relics  in  the  catacombs.  These 
classical  traditions  are  especially  noticeable  in  the 
treatment  of  the  draperies  clinging  in  linear  and 
elliptical  folds  to  express  the  limbs.  In  fact,  it 
might  be  said  that,  spread  westward  and  northward 
by  the  Christian  colonies,  this  classical  tradition  in 
figure  design  lingered  on,  until  its  renewal  at  the 
dawn  of  the  Renaissance  itself,  and  the  resurrection 
of  classical  art  in  Italy,  which,  uniting  with  a  new 
naturalism,  grew  to  that  wonderful  development 
which  has  affected  the  art  of  Europe  ever  since. 

The  Charter  of  Foundation  of  Newminster,  at 
Winchester,  by  King  Edgar,  A.D.  966,  written  in 
gold,  is  another  very  splendid  early  example  of 
book  decoration.  It  has  a  full-page  miniature  of 
the  panelled  type  above  mentioned,  and  elaborate 
border  in  gold  and  colours  by  an  English  artist. 
It  is  in  the  British  Museum,  and  may  be  seen 
open  in  Case  2  in  the  King's  Library. 

"  The  Gospels,"  in  Latin.  A  MS.  of  the  eleventh 
century,  with  initials  and  borders  in  gold  and  colours, 
by  English  artists,  is  another  fine  specimen  of  the 


ANGLO-SAXON   MS. 

early  kind.     Here  the  titles  of  each  gospel,  boldly 
inscribed,  are  inclosed  in  a  massively  designed 

GERMAN  SCHOOL.  XVxn  CENTURY. 

l6t  et(?e  bejjmlid)  ftbtfhbott  o&ec 
|tbtrg&c25ittefel(indttJemenfll^ 


bott  ftimpt  gcritten  /\m&  ftejt  auff 
lame  JDromc  oati/\)n  ifl  mit  Qul&im 

^fearnaftb  «n0t  Ie0t  t)n  f  urt  au/f  & 

riiu  pf  dbtn/m  6c  fcbilt  emcn  ^&let  ^n  Oem  panet 
fine gtfeontcn  L«o/ wi  m  6  ^anb-cm  btaites  fi  bwctt  * 


:  BUCK  VON  DEN  SIEBEN  TODSUNDEN  UND  DEN  SIEBEN  TUGENDEN. 
(AUGSBURG,  BAMLER,  1474.) 

border,  making  a  series  of  full  title  pages  of  a  dig- 
nified type. 

As  examples  of  illustrated  books,  according  to 


THE   FIRST   PERIOD 

the  earlier  Mediaeval  ideas,  we  may  look  at  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  century  "  Herbals,"  wherein  different 
plants,  very  full  and  frank  in  colour  and  formal  in 
design,  are  figured  strictly  with  a  view  to  the  orna- 
mentation of  the  page.  There  is  a  very  fine  one, 
described  as  written  in  England  in  the  thirteenth 
century,  in  the  British  Museum.  Decoration  and 
illustration  are  here  one  and  the  same. 

A  magnificent  specimen  of  book  decoration  of 
the  most  splendid  kind  is  the  "  Arundel  Psalter  "v/ 
(Arundel  MS.  83,  Brit.  Mus.),  given  by  Robert  de 
Lyle  to  his  daughter  Audry,  as  an  inscription  in 
the  volume  tells  us,  in  1339.  Here  scribe,  illumi- 
nator, and  miniaturist  are  all  at  their  best,  whether 
one  and  the  same  or  different  persons.  It  is,  more- 
over, English  work.  There  is  no  doubt  about  the 
beauty  of  the  designs,  and  the  variety  and  richness 
of  the  decorative  effect.  Like  all  the  Psalters,  the 
book  commences  with  a  calendar,  and  full  pages 
follow,  panelled  out  and  filled  in  with  subjects  from 
the  life  of  Christ.  A  particularly  splendid  full-page 
is  that  of  the  Virgin  and  Child  under  a  Gothic 
canopy,  with  gold  diapered  background.  There  are 
also  very  interestingly  designed  genealogical  trees, 
and  fine  arrangements  of  double  columned  text- 
pages  with  illuminated  ornament  (see  Nos.  2,  3, 
and  4,  Appendix). 

The  Tenison  Psalter  (Addit.  MS.  24686)  is  a 
specimen  of  English  thirteenth  century  work. 
"  Probably  executed  for  Alphonso,  son  of  Ed- 
mund I.,  on  his  contemplated  marriage  with 
Margaret  daughter  of  Florentius,  Count  of  Hol- 
land, which  was  frustrated  by  the  prince's  death 
on  ist  August,  1224." 

16 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


SPECULUM  HUMANE  VIT^E.     (AUGSBURG,  GUNTHER  ZAINER,  drca  1475.) 
(Size  of  original,  6f  in.  x   10^  in.) 


XIIlTH   AND  XIVTH   CENTURY   MSS. 

The  full-page  miniatures  arranged  in  panels — in 
some  instances  four  on  a  page,  with  alternate  bur- 
nished gold  and  dark  blue  diapered  backgrounds 
behind  the  figures,  and  in  others  six  on  a  page,  the 
miniature  much  smaller,  and  set  in  a  larger  margin 
of  colour,  alternate  red  and  blue — are  very  full, 
solid,  and  rich  in  colour  with  burnished  gold.  The 
book  is  further  interesting,  as  giving  excellent 
and  characteristic  instances  of  another  and  very 
different  treatment  of  the  page  (and  one  which 
appears  to  have  been  rather  peculiarly  English 
in  style),  in  the  spiny  scrolls  which,  often  springing 
from  a  large  illuminated  initial  letter  upon  the  field 
of  the  text,  spreads  upon  and  down  the  margin,  or 
above  and  below,  often  holding  in  its  branching 
curves  figures  and  animals,  which  in  this  MS. 
are  beautifully  and  finely  drawn.  Note  the  one 
showing  a  lady  of  the  time  in  pursuit  of  some  deer. 

In  the  thirteenth  century  books  the  text  is  a 
solid  tower  or  column,  from  which  excursions  can 
be  made  by  the  fancy  and  invention  of  the  designer, 
up  and  down  and  above  and  beneath,  upon  the 
ample  vellum  margins;  in  some  cases,  indeed, 
additional  devices  appear  to  have  been  added  by 
other  and  later  hands  than  those  of  the  original 
scribe  or  illuminator. 

There  is  a  very  remarkable  Apocalypse  (Brit. 
Mus.  MSS.  17353;  formerly  belonging  to  the 
Carthusian  house  of  Vau  Dieu  between  Liege  and 
Aix)  by  French  artists  of  the  early  fourteenth 
century,  which  has  a  series  of  very  fine  imagi- 
native and  weird  designs  (suggestive  of  Orcagna), 
highly  decorative  in  treatment,  very  full  and  frank 
in  colour,  and  firm  in  outline.  The  designs  are 

19 


THE  FIRST  PERIOD. 

in  oblong  panels,  inclosed  in  linear  coloured  borders 
at  the  head  of  each  page,  and  occupying  about 
two-thirds  of  it,  the  text  being  written  in  double 
columns  beneath  each  miniature,  with  small  illu- 
minated initials.  The  backgrounds  of  the  designs 
are  diapered  on  grounds  of  dark  green  and  red 
alternately. 

The  imaginative  force  and  expression  conveyed 
by  these  designs — strictly  formal  and  figurative, 
and  controlled  by  the  ornamental  traditions  of  the 
time — is  very  remarkable.  The  illustrator  and 
decorator  are  here  still  one. 

Queen  Mary's  Psalter  (Brit.  Mus.  MS.  Royal  2, 
B.  VII.),  again,  is  interesting  as  giving  instances 
of  a  very  different  and  lighter  treatment  of  figure 
designs.  We  find  in  this  MS.,  together  with 
illuminations  in  full  colours  and  burnished  gold, 
a  series  of  pale  tinted  illustrations  in  Bible  history 
drawn  with  a  delicate  pen  line. 

The  method  of  the  illuminators  and  miniaturists 
seems  always  to  have  been  to  draw  their  figures 
and  ornaments  clearly  out  first  with  a  pen  before 
colouring. 

In  the  full-coloured  miniatures  the  pen  lines  are 
not  visible,  but  in  this  MS.  they  are  preserved 
with  the  delicate  tinted  treatment.  The  designs 
I  speak  of  are  placed  two  on  a  page,  occupying  it 
entirely.  They  are  inclosed  in  vermilion  borders, 
terminated  at  each  corner  with  a  leaf.  There  is  a 
very  distinct  and  graceful  feeling  about  the  designs. 
The  same  hand  appears  to  have  added  on  the 
lower  margins  of  the  succeeding  text  pages  a  series 
of  quaint  figures — combats  of  grotesque  animals, 
hunting,  hawking,  and  fishing  scenes,  and  games 

20 


w 
u 

ffi 

H 

X 


o 


21 


THE  BEDFORD  BOOK  OF  HOURS, 
and  sports,  and,  finally,  Biblical  subjects.  Here, 
again,  I  think  we  may  detect  in  the  early  illus- 
trators a  tendency  to  escape  from  the  limitations 
of  the  book  page,  though  only  a  tendency. 

A  fine  ornamental  page  combining  illumination 
with  miniature  is  given  in  the  "  Epistle  of  Philippe 
de  Comines  to  Richard  II."  at  the  end  of  the 
fourteenth  century.  The  figures,  interesting  his- 
torically and  as  examples  of  costume,  are  relieved 
upon  a  diapered  ground.  The  text  is  in  double 
columns,  with  square  initials,  and  the  page  is 
lightened  by  open  foliation  branching  out  upon  the 
margin  from  the  straight  spiney  border  strips, 
which  on  the  inner  side  terminate  in  a  dragon. 

As  a  specimen  of  early  fifteenth  century  work, 
both  for  illuminator,  scribe,  and  miniaturist,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  exquisite  book  than 
the  Bedford  Hours  (Brit.  Mus.  MS.  Add.  18850), 
dated  1422,  said  to  be  the  work  of  French  artists, 
though  produced  in  England.  The  kalendar, 
which  occupies  the  earlier  pages,  is  remarkable 
for  its  small  and  very  brilliant  and  purely  coloured 
miniatures  set  like  gems  in  a  very  fine,  delicate, 
light,  open,  leafy  border,  bright  with  burnished 
gold  trefoil  leaves,  which  are  characteristic  of 
French  illuminated  books  of  this  period  (see  Nos. 
5  and  6,  Appendix). 

There  is  an  elaborate  full-page  miniature  con- 
taining the  Creation  and  Fall,  which  breaks  over 
the  margin  here  and  there.  The  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  century  miniaturists  frequently 
allowed  their  designs  to  break  over  the  framework 
of  their  diapered  grounds  or  panels  in  an  effective 
way,  which  pleasantly  varied  the  formality  of 

23 


THE  FIRST  PERIOD. 

framed-in  subjects  upon  the  page,  especially  where 
a  flat  margin  of  colour  between  lines  inclosed 
them ;  and  some  parts  of  the  groups  broke  over 
the  inner  line  while  keeping  within  the  limits  of 
the  outer  one.  Very  frequently,  as  in  this  MS., 
a  general  plan  is  followed  throughout  in  the 
spacing  of  the  pages,  though  the  borders  and 
miniatures  in  detail  show  almost  endless  variation. 
In  such  splendid  works  as  this  we  get  the  complete 
and  harmonious  co-operation  and  union  between 
the  illustrator  and  the  decorator.  The  object  of 
each  is  primarily  to  beautify  his  page.  The  illu- 
minator makes  his  borders  and  initial  letters  branch 
and  bud,  and  put  forth  leaves  and  flowers  spreading 
luxuriantly  up  and  down  the  margin  of  his  vellum 
pages  (beautiful  even  as  the  scribe  left  them)  like 
a  living  growth ;  while  the  miniaturist  makes  the 
letter  itself  the  shrine  of  some  delicate  saint,  or  a 
vision  of  some  act  of  mercy  or  martyrdom  ;  while 
the  careless  world  plays  hide  and  seek  through  the 
labyrinthine  borders,  as  the  seasons  follow  each 
other  through  the  kalendar,  and  the  peasant 
ploughs,  and  sows,  and  reaps,  and  threshes  out 
the  corn,  while  gay  knights  tourney  in  the  lists, 
or,  with  ladies  in  their  quaint  attire,  follow  the 
spotted  deer  through  the  greenwood. 

In  these  beautiful  liturgical  books  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  as  we  see,  the  ornamental  feeling  developed 
with  and  combined  the  illustrative  function,  so  that 
almost  any  illuminated  Psalter  or  Book  of  Hours 
will  furnish  not  only  lovely  examples  of  floral 
decoration  in  borders  and  initials  of  endless  fertility 
of  invention,  but  also  give  us  pictures  of  the  life 
and  manners  of  the  times.  In  those  of  our  own 

24 


MERRY   ENGLAND. 

country  we  can  realize  how  full  of  colour,  quaint 
costume,  and  variety  was  life  when  England  was 


DUTCH  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


tut  ftnntmmr  tlf$£  jagtfjt ugim  mane 


SPIEGEL  ONSER  BEHOUDENISSE,    KUILENBURG.     (jAN     VELDENER,    1483.) 

indeed  merry,  in  spite  of  family  feuds  and  tyran- 
nous lords  and  kings ;  before  her  industrial  trans- 
formation and  the  dispossession  of  her  people  ;  ere 

25 


THE   FIRST   PERIOD. 

Boards  of  Works  and  Poor-law  Guardians  took  the 
place  of  her  monasteries  and  abbeys ;  before  her 
streams  were  fouled  with  sewage,  and  her  cities 
blackened  with  coal  smoke — the  smoke  of  the 
burning  sacrificed  to  commercial  competition  and 
wholesale  production  for  profit  by  means  of  machine 
power  and  machine  labour ;  before  she  became  the 
workshop  and  engine-room  of  the  world. 

These  books  glowing  with  gold  and  colour  tell 
of  days  when  time  was  no  object,  and  the  pious 
artist  and  scribe  could  work  quietly  and  lovingly 
to  make  a  thing  of  beauty  with  no  fear  of  a 
publisher  or  a  printer  before  his  eyes,  or  the 
demands  of  world  market. 

In  the  midst  of  our  self-congratulation  on  the 
enormous  increase  of  our  resources  for  the  rapid 
and  cheap  production  of  books,  and  the  power  of 
the  printing  press,  we  should  do  well  not  to  forget 
that  if  books  of  those  benighted  centuries  of  which 
I  have  been  speaking  were  few,  comparatively, 
they  were  fit,  though  few — they  were  things  of 
beauty  and  joys  for  ever  to  their  possessors.  A 
prayer-book  was  not  only  a  prayer-book,  but  a 
picture-book,  a  shrine,  a  little  mirror  of  the  world, 
a  sanctuary  in  a  garden  of  flowers.  One  can  well 
understand  their  preciousness  apart  from  their 
religious  use,  and  many  have  seen  strange  event- 
ful histories  no  doubt.  The  Earl  of  Shrewsbury 
lost  his  prayer-book  (the  Talbot  prayer-book)  and 
his  life  together  on  the  battle-field  at  Castillon 
(about  thirty  miles  from  Bordeaux)  in  1453.  This 
book,  as  Mr.  Quaritch  states,  was  carried  away  by 
a  Breton  soldier,  and  was  only  re-discovered  in 
Brittany  a  few  years  ago. 

26 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


DEUTSCHE    UEBERSETZUNG   DES    EUNUCHUS  DES   TERENTIUS." 

(ULM,    DINCKMUT,    1486.) 


MISSALS. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  large  coloured 
and  illuminated  initial  letters  in  liturgical  books 
had  their  origin  as  guides  in  taking  up  the  different 
parts  of  the  service ;  and,  as  I  learn  from  Mr. 
Micklethwaite,  in  some  of  the  Missals,  where 
the  crucifixion  is  painted  in  an  illuminated  letter, 
a  simple  cross  is  placed  below  for  the  votary  to 
kiss  instead  of  the  picture,  as  it  was  found  in 
practice,  when  only  the  picture  was  there,  the 
tendency  was  to  obliterate  it  by  the  recurrence  of 
this  form  of  devotion. 

As  an  example  of  the  influence  of  naturalism 
which  had  begun  to  make  itself  felt  in  art  towards 
the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  we  may  cite  The 
Romance  of  the  Rose  (Harl.  MSS.  4425),  in  the 
British  Museum,  which  has  two  fine  full-page 
miniatures  with  elaborate  borderings,  full  of  detail 
and  colour,  and  which  are  also  illustrative  of  cos- 
tume (see  No.  8,  Appendix).  The  text  pages  show 
the  effect  of  double  columns  with  small  highly- 
finished  miniatures  (occupying  the  width  of  one 
column)  interspersed.  The  style  of  work  is  akin 
to  that  of  the  celebrated  Grimani  Breviary,  now 
in  the  library  of  St.  Mark's,  Venice,  the  miniatures 
of  which  are  said  to  have  been  painted  by  Memling. 
They  are  wonderfully  rich  in  detail,  and  fine  in 
workmanship,  and  are  quite  in  the  manner  of  the 
Flemish  pictures  of  that  period.  We  feel  that  the 
pictorial  and  illustrative  power  is  gaining  the 
ascendancy,  and  in  its  borders  of  highly  wrought 
leaves,  flowers,  fruit,  and  insects,  given  in  full 
relief  with  their  cast  shadows — wonderful  as  they 
are  in  themselves  as  pieces  of  work — it  is  evident 
to  me,  at  least,  that  whatever  graphic  strength  and 

29 


THE   FIRST  PERIOD. 

richness  of  chiaro-oscuro  is  gained  it  is  at  the 
distinct  cost  of  the  beauty  of  pure  decorative  effect 
upon  the  page.  After  the  delicate  arabesques  of 
the  earlier  time,  these  borders  look  a  little  heavy, 
and  however  great  their  pictorial  or  imitative 
merits,  they  fail  to  satisfy  the  conditions  of  a  page 
decoration  so  satisfactorily. 

Perhaps  the  most  sumptuous  examples  of  book 
decoration  of  this  period  are  to  be  found  in  Italy, 
in  the  celebrated  Choir  Books  in  the  cathedral 
of  Siena.  They  show  a  rare  union  of  imaginative 
form,  pictorial  skill,  and  decorative  sense  in  the 
miniaturist,  united  with  all  the  Italian  richness  and 
grace  in  the  treatment  of  early  Renaissance  orna- 
ment, and  in  its  adaptation  to  the  decoration  of 
the  book  page  (see  No.  9,  Appendix). 

These  miniatures  are  the  work  of  Girolamo  da 
Cremona,  and  Liberale  da  Verona.  At  least,  these 
two  are  described  as  "  the  most  copious  and  inde- 
fatigable of  the  artists  employed  on  the  Corali." 
Payments  were  made  to  them  for  the  work  in 
1468,  and  again  in  1472-3,  which  fixes  the  date. 

I  am  not  ignoring  the  possibility  of  a  certain 
division  of  labour  in  the  illuminated  MS.  The 
work  of  the  scribe,  the  illuminator,  and  the  minia- 
turist are  distinct  enough,  while  equally  important 
to  the  result.  Mr.  J.  W.  Bradley,  who  has  com- 
piled a  Dictionary  of  Miniaturists,  speaking  of 
calligrapher,  illuminator,  and  miniaturist,  says  : — 
"  Each  of  these  occupations  is  at  times  conjoined 
with  either  or  both  of  the  others,"  and  when  that 
is  so,  in  giving  the  craftsman  his  title,  he  decides 
by  the  period  of  his  work.  For  instance,  from  the 
seventh  to  the  tenth  centuries  he  would  call  him 

30 


FLEMISH  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


LIFE   OF   CHRIST."  (ANTWERP,    GHERAERT   LEEU,    1487.) 

(Original,  ;£  in.  x  5^  in.) 


ILLUMINATED  MSS. 

calligrapher ;  eleventh  to  fifteenth  centuries,  illumi- 
nator ;  fifteenth  to  sixteenth  centuries,  miniaturist. 
Transcription  he  puts  in  another  category  as  the 
work  of  the  copyist  scribe.  But  whatever  division 
of  labour  there  may  or  may  not  have  been,  there 
was  no  division  in  the  harmony  and  unity  of  the 
effect.  I  f  in  some  cases  the  more  purely  ornamental 
parts,  such  as  the  floral  borders  and  initials,  were 
the  work  of  one  artist,  the  text  of  another,  and 
the  miniatures  of  another,  all  I  can  say  is,  that  each 
worked  together  as  brethren  in  unity,  contributing 
to  the  beauty  of  a  harmonious  and  organic  whole ; 
and  if  such  division  of  labour  can  be  ascertained  to 
have  been  a  fact,  it  goes  to  prove  the  importance 
of  some  co-operation  in  a  work  of  art,  and  its 
magnificent  possibilities. 

The  illuminated  MS.  books  have  this  great  dis- 
tinction and  advantage  in  respect  of  harmony  of 
text  and  decoration,  the  text  of  the  calligrapher 
always  harmonizing  with  the  designs  of  the  illumi- 
nator, it  being  in  like  manner  all  through  the 
Middle  Ages  a  thing  of  growth  and  development, 
acquiring  new  characteristics  and  undergoing  pro- 
cesses of  transformation  less  obvious  perhaps,  but 
not  less  actual,  than  the  changes  in  the  style  and 
characters  of  the  devices  and  inventions  which 
accompanied  it.  The  mere  fact  that  every  part  of 
the  work  was  due  to  the  hand,  that  manual  skill 
and  dexterity  alone  has  produced  the  whole,  gives 
a  distinction  and  a  character  to  these  MS.  books 
which  no  press  could  possibly  rival. 

The  difficulty  which  besets  the  modern  book 
decorator,  illustrator,  or  designer  of  printers'  orna- 
ments, of  getting  type  which  will  harmonize  pro- 

33  D 


THE   FIRST   PERIOD. 

perly  with  his  designs,  did  not  exist  with  the 
mediaeval  illuminator,  who  must  always  have  been 
sure  of  balancing  his  designs  by  a  body  of  text  not 
only  beautiful  in  the  form  of  it's  individual  letters, 
but  beautiful  and  rich  in  the  effect  of  its  mass  on 
the  page,  which  was  only  enhanced  when  the 
initials  were  relieved  with  colour  on  gold,  or 
beautiful  pen  work  which  grew  out  of  them  like 
the  mistletoe  from  the  solid  oak  stem. 

The  very  pitch  of  perfection  which  penmanship, 
or  the  art  of  the  calligrapher  had  reached  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  the  calculated  regularity  and  "  pur- 
gation of  superfluities  "  in  the  form  of  the  letters,  the 
squareness  of  their  mass  in  the  words,  and  approxi- 
mation in  length  and  height,  seem  to  suggest  and 
naturally  lead  up  to  the  idea  of  the  movable  type 
and  the  printed  page. 

Before,  however,  turning  the  next  page  of  our 
subject,  let  us  take  one  more  general  and  rapid 
glance  at  the  MS.  books  from  the  point  of  view 
of  design. 

While  examples  of  the  two  fields  into  which  art 
may  be  said  to  be  always  more  or  less  divided — 
the  imitative  and  the  inventive,  or  the  illustrative 
and  the  decorative — are  not  altogether  absent  in 
the  books  of  the  Middle  Ages,  the  main  tendency 
and  prevailing  spirit  is  decidedly  on  the  inventive 
and  decorative  side,  more  especially  in  the  work 
of  the  illuminators  from  the  thirteenth  to  the 
fifteenth  centuries,  and  yet  this  inventive  and 
decorative  spirit  is  often  allied  with  a  dramatic  and 
poetic  feeling,  as  well  as  a  sense  of  humour.  We 
see  how  full  of  life  is  the  ornament  of  the  illumina- 
tor, how  figures,  birds,  animals,  and  insects  fill  his 

34 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


"CHRONICA   HUNGARY."  (AUGSBURG,  RATDOLT,   1488.) 

35 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  PAGE. 

arabesques,  how  he  is  often  decorator,  illustrator, 
and  pictorial  commentator  in  one. 

Even  apart  from  his  enrichments,  it  is  evident 
that  the  page  was  regarded  by  the  calligrapher  as 


FRENCH  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


INITIAL  FROM  "  LA    MER    DES    HISTOIRES."      (PARIS,    PIERRE 
LE   ROUGE,    1488.) 

a  space  to  be  decorated — that  it  should  at  least, 
regarded  solely  as  a  page  of  text,  be  a  page  of 
beautiful  writing,  the  mass  carefully  placed  upon 
the  vellum,  so  as  to  afford  convenient  and  ample 

37 


THE   FIRST   PERIOD. 

margin,  especially  beneath.  The  page  of  a  book, 
in  fact,  may  be  regarded  as  a  flat  panel  which  may 
be  variously  spaced  out.  The  calligrapher,  the 
illuminator,  and  the  miniaturist  are  the  architects 
who  planned  out  their  vellum  grounds  and  built 
beautiful  structures  of  line  and  colour  upon  them 
for  thought  and  fancy  to  dwell  in.  Sometimes  the 
text  is  arranged  in  a  single  column,  as  generally 
in  the  earlier  MSS. ;  sometimes  in  double,  as  gener- 
ally in  the  Gothic  and  later  MSS.,  and  these 
square  and  oblong  panels  of  close  text  are  relieved 
by  large  and  small  initial  letters  sparkling  in  gold 
and  colour,  inclosed  in  their  own  framework,  or 
escaping  from  it  in  free  and  varied  branch  work 
and  foliation  upon  the  margin,  and  set  with  minia- 
tures like  gems,  as  in  the  Bedford  Hours,  the 
larger  initials  increasing  to  such  proportions  as  to 
inclose  a  more  important  miniature — a  subject- 
picture  in  short — a  book  illustration  in  the  fullest 
sense,  yet  strictly  a  part  of  a  general  scheme  of  the 
ornamentation  of  the  page. 

Floral  borders,  which  in  some  instances  spread 
freely  around  the  text  and  fill  the  margins,  un- 
confined  though  not  uninfluenced  by  rectangular 
lines  or  limits  from  a  light  and  open,  yet  rich  and 
delicate  tracery  of  leaves  and  fanciful  blossoms  (as 
in  the  Bedford  Hours) ;  are  in  others  framed  in 
with  firm  lines  (Tenison  Psalter,  p.  1 1)  ;  and  in 
later  fifteenth  century  MSS.  with  gold  lines  and 
mouldings,  as  the  treatment  of  the  page  becomes 
more  pictorial  and  solid  in  colour  and  relief. 
Sometimes  the  borders  form  a  distinct  framework, 
inclosing  the  text  and  dividing  its  columns,  as  in 
"  The  Book  of  Hours  of  Rene  of  Anjou  "  (Egerton 

38 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


\\  XX    \\     \l 


"HORTUS  SANITATIS."        (MAINZ,  JACOB  MEIDENBACH,  1491.) 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


"CHRONEKEN    DER   SASSEN."  (MAINZ,    SCH5FFER,    1492.) 


THE  MINIATURISTS. 

MS.  1070),  and  the  same  design  is  sometimes 
repeated  differently  coloured.  Gradually  the 
miniaturist — the  picture  painter — although  at  first 
almost  as  formally  decorative  as  the  illuminator 
— asserts  his  independence,  and  influences  the 
treatment  of  the  border,  which  becomes  a  minia- 
ture also,  as  in  the  Grimani  Breviary,  the  Romance 
of  the  Rose,  and  the  Choir  Books  of  Siena,  until 
at  last  the  miniature  or  the  picture  is  in  danger  of 
being  more  thought  of  than  the  book,  and  we  get 
books  of  framed  pictures  instead  of  pictured  or 
decorated  books.  In  the  Grimani  Breviary  the 
miniature  frequently  occupies  the  whole  page 
with  a  single  subject-picture;  or  the  miniature 
is  superimposed  upon  a  pictured  border,  which, 
strengthened  by  rigid  architectural  lines  and 
tabernacle  work,  form  a  rich  frame. 

All  these  varieties  we  have  been  examining  are, 
however,  interesting  and  beautiful  in  their  own 
way  in  their  results.  In  considering  any  form  of 
art  of  a  period  which  shows  active  traditions,  real 
life  and  movement,  natural  growth  and  develop- 
ment, we  are  fascinated  by  its  organic  quality,  and 
though  we  may  detect  the  absorption  or  adaptation 
of  new  elements  and  new  influences  from  time  to 
time  leading  to  changes  of  style  and  structure  of 
design,  as  well  as  changed  temper  and  feeling,  as 
long  as  this  natural  evolution  continues,  each 
variety  has  its  own  charm  and  its  own  com- 
pensations ;  while  we  may  have  our  preferences 
as  to  which  approaches  most  nearly  to  the  ideal 
of  perfect  adaptability,  and,  therefore,  of  decora- 
tive beauty. 

In  the  progressive  unfolding  which  characterizes 
43 


THE   FIRST   PERIOD. 

a  living  style,  all  its  stages  must  be  interesting  and 
possess  their  own  significance,  since  all  fall  into 
their  places  in  the  great  and  golden  record  of  the 
history  of  art  itself. 


44 


CHAPTER  II.  OF  THE  TRANSITION, 
AND  OF  THE  SECOND  PERIOD 
OF  DECORATIVELY  ILLUSTRATED 
BOOKS,  FROM  THE  INVENTION  OF 
PRINTING  IN  THE  FIFTEENTH  CEN- 
TURY ONWARDS. 

|E  have  seen  to  what  a  pitch  of 
perfection  and  magnificence  the 
decoration  and  illustration  of  books 
attained  during  the  Middle  Ages, 
and  the  splendid  results  to  which 
art  in  the  three  distinct  forms — 
'calligraphy,  illumination,  and  miniature — contri- 
buted. We  have  traced  a  gradual  progression 
and  evolution  of  style  through  the  period  of  MS. 
books,  both  in  the  development  of  writing  and 
ornament.  We  have  noted  how  the  former  became 
more  and  more  regular  and  compact  in  its  mass  on 
the  page,  and  how  in  the  latter  the  illustrative  or 
pictorial  size  grew  more  and  more  important,  until 
at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century  we  had  large 
and  elaborately  drawn  and  naturalistic  pictures 
framed  in  the  initial  letters,  as  in  the  Choir  Books 
of  Siena,  or  occupying  the  whole  page  with  a  single 
subject,  as  in  the  Grimani  Breviary.  The  tree  of 
design,  springing  from  small  and  obscure  germs, 
sends  up  a  strong  stem,  branches  and  buds  in  the 
favourable  sun,  and  finally  breaks  into  a  beautiful 
free  efflorescence  and  fruitage.  Then  we  mark  a 
fresh  change.  The  autumn  comes  after  the 
summertide,  winter  follows  autumn,  till  the  new 
life,  ever  ready  to  spring  from  the  husk  of  the 
old,  puts  forth  its  leaves,  until  by  almost  im- 
perceptible degrees  and  changes,  and  the  silent 

45 


OF  THE  TRANSITION. 

growth  of  new  forces,  the  face  of  the  world  is 

changed  for  us. 

So  it  was  with  the  change  that  came  upon 
European  art  towards  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  the  result  of  many  causes  working  to- 
gether ;  but  as  regards  art  as  applied  to  books, 
fythe  greatest  of  these  was  of  course  the  invention 
and  application  of  printing.  Like  most  great 
movements  in  art  or  life,  it  had  an  obscure 
beginning.  Its  parentage  might  be  sought  in  the 
woodcuts  of  the  earlier  part  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury applied  to  the  printing  of  cards.  The  imme- 
diate forerunners  of  printed  books  were  the  block 
books.  Characteristic  specimens  of  the  quaint 
works  may  be  seen  displayed  in  the  King's 
Library,  British  Museum.  The  art  of  these 
block  books  is  quite  rude  and  primitive,  and, 
contrasted  with  the  highly-finished  work  of  the 
illuminated  MS.  of  the  same  time,  might  almost 
belong  to  another  period.  These  are  the  first 
tottering  steps  of  the  infant  craft;  the  first  faint 
utterances,  soon  to  grow  into  strong,  clear,  and 
perfect  speech,  to  rule  the  world  of  books  and 
men. 

Germany  had  not  taken  any  especial  or  distin- 
guished part  in  the  production  of  MSS.  remark- 
able for  artistic  beauty  or  original  treatment ;  but 
her  time  was  to  come,  and  now,  in  the  use  of  an 
artistic  application  of  the  invention  of  printing, 
and  the  new  era  of  book  decoration  and  illustra- 
tion, she  at  once  took  the  lead.  Seeing  that  the 
invention  itself  is  ascribed  to  one  of  her  own  sons, 
it  seems  appropriate  enough,  and  natural  that 
printing  should  grow  to  quick  perfection  in  the 

46 


fc 

H 
U 


o 


47 


THE   EARLIEST   PRINTERS. 

land  of  its  birth ;  so  that  we  find  some  of  the 
earliest  and  greatest  triumphs  of  the  Press  coming 
from  German  printers,  such  as  Gutenberg,  Fust, 
and  Schceffer,  not  to  speak  yet  of  the  wonderful 
fertility  of  decorative  invention,  graphic  force,  and 
dramatic  power  of  German  designers,  culminating 
in  the  supreme  genius  of  Albrecht  Dlirer  and 
Hans  Holbein. 

The  prosperous  German  towns,  Cologne,  Mainz, 
Frankfort,  Strassburg,  Augsburg,  Bamberg,  Hal- 
berstadt,  Nuremberg,  and  Ulm,  all  became  famous 
in  the  history  of  printing,  and  each  had  its  school 
of  designers  in  black  and  white,  its  distinctive 
style  in  book-decoration  and  printing. 

Italy,  France,  Switzerland,  and  England,  how- 
ever, all  had  their  share,  and  a  glorious  share,  in 
the  triumph  of  printing  in  its  early  days.  The 
presses  of  Venice,  of  Florence,  and  of  Rome  and 
Naples,  of  Paris,  and  of  Basel,  and  of  our  own 
William  Caxton,  at  Westminster,  must  always  be 
looked  upon  as  in  the  van  of  the  early  progress  of 
the  art,  and  the  richness  of  the  decorative  inven- 
tion and  beauty,  in  the  case  of  the  woodcut 
adornments  used  by  the  printers  of  Venice  and,  / 
Florence  especially,  gives  them  in  the  last  yearsVx 
of  the  fifteenth  century  and  the  early  years  of  the 
sixteenth  a  particular  distinction. 

1454  appears  to  be  the  earliest  definite  date  that 
can  be  fixed  on  to  mark  the  earliest  use  of  printing. 
In  that  year,  the  Mainz  "Indulgences"  were  in 
circulation,  but  the  following  year  is  more  import- 
ant, as  to  it  is  assigned  the  issue,  from  the  press 
of  Gutenberg  and  Fust  at  Mainz,  of  the  famous  </ 
Mazarin  Bible,  a  copy  of  which  is  in  the  British 

49  E 


OF  THE  TRANSITION. 

Museum.  Mr.  Bullen  says,  "The  copy  which 
first  attracted  notice  in  modern  times  was  dis- 
covered in  the  library  of  Cardinal  Mazarin" — 
hence  the  name. 

It  is  noticeable  as  showing  how  transitional  was 
the  change  in  the  treatment  of  the  page.  The 
scribe  has  been  supplanted — the  marshalled  legions 
of  printed  letters  have  invaded  his  territory  and 
driven  him  from  his  occupation  ;  but  the  margin  is 
still  left  for  the  illuminator  to  spread  his  coloured 
borders  upon,  and  the  initial  letters  wait  for  the 
touch  of  colour  from  his  hand.  The  early  printers 
evidently  regarded  their  art  as  providing  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  MS.  book.  They  aimed  at  doing 
the  work  of  the  scribe  and  doing  it  better  and 
more  expeditiously.  No  idea  of  a  new  departure 
in  effect  seems  to  have  been  entertained  at  first,  to 
judge  from  such  specimens  as  these. 

Another  early  printed  book  is  the  Mainz  Psalter. 
It  is  printed  on  vellum,  and  comes  from  the  press 
of  Fust  and  Schceffer  in  1457.  It  is  remarkable 
not  only  as  the  first  printed  psalter  and  as  the  first 
book  printed  with  a  date,  but  also  as  being  the 
first  example  of  printing  in  colours.  The  initial 
letter  B  is  the  result  of  this  method,  and  it  affords 
a  wonderful  instance  of  true  register.  The  blue 
of  the  letter  fitted  cleanly  into  the  red  of  the  sur- 
rounding ornament  with  a  precision  which  puzzles 
our  modern  printers,  and  it  is  difficult  to  understand 
how  such  perfection  could  have  been  attained. 
Mr.  Emery  Walker  has  suggested  to  me  that  the 
blue  letter  itself  might  have  been  cut  out,  inked, 
and  dropped  in  from  the  back  of  the  red  block 
when  that  was  in  the  press,  and  so  the  two  colours 

50 


^  MAINZ  PSALTER, 

printed  together.  If  this  could  be  done  with 
sufficient  precision,  it  would  certainly  account  for 
the  exactitude  of  the  register.  Apart  from  this 
interesting  technical  question,  however,  the  page 


FRENCH  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


FROM   PARIS   ET  VIENNE.       (PARIS,    JEHAN   TREPEREL,    C.   I495-) 

is  a  very  beautiful  one,  and  the  initial,  with  its 
solid  shape  of  figured  blue,  inclosed  in  the  delicate 
red  pen-like  tracery  climbing  up  and  down  the 
margin,  is  a  charming  piece  of  page  decoration. 
The  original  may  be  seen  in  one  of  the  cases  in 

5' 


OF  THE  TRANSITION. 

the  King's  Library,  British  Museum.  We  have 
here  an  instance  of  the  printer  aiming  at  directly 
imitating  and  supplanting  by  his  craft  the  art  of 
the  calligrapher  and  illuminator,  and  with  such  a 
beauty  and  perfection  of  workmanship  as  must 
have  astonished  them  and  given  them  far  more 
reason  to  regard  the  printer  as  a  dangerous  rival 
than  had  (as  it  is  said)  the  early  wood  engravers, 
who  were  unwilling  to  help  the  printer  by  their 
art  for  fear  his  craft  would  injure  their  own,  which 
seems  somewhat  extraordinary  considering  how 
closely  allied  both  wood  engraver  and  printer  have 
been  ever  since.  The  example  of  the  Mainz 
Psalter  does  not  seem  to  have  been  much  followed, 
and  as  regards  the  application  of  colour,  it  was  as 
a  rule  left  as  a  matter  of  course  to  be  added  by  the 
miniaturist,  who  evidently  declined  as  an  artist 
after  he  had  got  into  the  way  of  having  his  designs 
in  outline  provided  for  him  ready-made  by  the 
printer;  or,  rather,  perhaps  the  accomplished 
miniature  printer,  having  carried  his  art  as  applied 
to  books  about  as  far  as  it  would  go,  became  ab- 
sorbed as  a  painter  of  independent  pictures,  and 
the  printing  of  books  fell  into  inferior  hands.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  devices  and  decorations  of 
the  early  printers  were  intended  to  be  coloured  in 
emulation  of  illuminated  and  miniatured  MSS.,  and 
were  regarded,  in  fact,  as  the  pen  outlines  of  the 
illuminator,  only  complete  when  filled  in  with 
colours  and  gold.  It  appears  to  have  been  only 
by  degrees  that  the  rich  and  vigorous  lines  of  the 
woodcut,  as  well  as  the  black  and  white  effect, 
became  admired  for  their  own  sake — so  slowly 
moves  the  world ! 

52 


GERMAN   ILLUSTRATION. 

A  good  idea  of  the  general  character  of  the 
development  of  the  wood  (and  metal)  cut  in  book 
and  illustration  and  decoration  in  Germany,  from 

GERMAN  SCHOOL.  XVTH  CENTURY. 


CDie  vuj'fabrt  von  on  bafcn  vnb  ftfifcteiu 


DAS   BUCK   UND   LEBEN   DES    HOCHBERUHMTEN    FABELDICHTERS   ^SOPI." 

(ULM, 

1470  (Leiden  Christi,  Pfister,  Bamberg,  1470)  to 
(Virgil  Solis'  Bible)  1563,  may  be  gained  from  a 
study  of  the  series  of  reproductions  given  in  this 

1  This  is  the  date  of  the  copy  from  which  the  illustration 
is  reproduced.  The  first  edition  of  the  book  was,  however, 
probably  issued  about  1480. 

53 


OF  THE  TRANSITION. 

and  the  preceding  chapter,  in  chronological 
order,  with  the  names,  dates,  and  places,  as  well 
as  the  particular  characteristics  of  the  style  of  the 
different  designers  and  printers. 

The  same  may  be  said  in  regard  to  the  Italian 

ITALIAN  SCHOOL.  XVra   CENTURY,  which  fo[. 

lows,  and 
those 
from 
Basel  and 
Paris. 

P  e  r- 
haps  the 
most  in- 
teresting 
examples 
of  the  use 
of  early 
printing 
as  a  sub- 
stitute for 


DE   CLARIS    MULIERIBUS. 


(FERRARA,   1497.) 


tion  and 

miniature  are  to  be  found  in  the  Books  of  Hours 
which  were  produced  at  Paris  in  the  later  years 
of  the  fifteenth  and  the  early  years  of  the  six- 
teenth centuries  (1487-1519  about)  by  Verard, 
Du  Pre,  Philip  Pigouchet,  Kerver,  and  Hardouyn. 

Specimens  of  these  books  may  be  seen  in  the 
British  Museum,  and  at  the  Art  Library  at  South 
Kensington  Museum.  The  originals  are  mostly 
printed  on  vellum. 

The  effect  of  the  richly  designed  borders  on 

54 


ITALIAN   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

black  dotted  grounds  is  very  pleasant,  but  these 
books  seem  to  have  been  intended  to  be  illumi- 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


TUPPO'S  ^SOP.  (NAPLES,  1485.) 

nated  and  coloured.     We  find  in  some  copies  that 
the  full-page  printed  pictures  are  coloured,  being 

55 


OF  THE  TRANSITION. 

worked  up  as  miniatures,  and  the  semi-architec- 
tural borderings  with  Renaissance  mouldings  and 
details  are  gilded  flat,  and  treated  as  the  frame  of 
the  picture.  There  is  one  which  has  the  mark  of 


ITALIAN  SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


p.  CREMONESE'S  "DANTE."        (VENICE,  NOVEMBER,  1491.) 

the  printer  Gillet  Hardouyn  (G.  H.  on  the  shield), 
on  the  front  page.  In  another  copy  (1515)  this  is 
painted  and  the  framework  gilded ;  the  subject  is 
Nessus  the  Centaur  carrying  off  Deianira,  the  wife 

56 


BORDERS  AND  ORNAMENTS, 
of  Hercules ;  a  sign  of  the  tendency  to  revive 
classical  mythology  which  had  set  in,  in  this  case, 
in  curious  association  with  a  Christian  service- 
book.  It  is  noticeable  how  soon  the  facility  for 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVxH   CENTURY. 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE   INDIES.  (FLORENCE,    1493.) 

repetition  by  the  press  was  taken  advantage  of, 
and  a  design,  especially  if  on  ornamental  borderings 
of  a  page,  often  repeated  several  times  throughout 
a  book.  These  borderings  and  ornaments  being 

57 


OF  THE  TRANSITION. 

generally  in  separate  blocks  as  to  headings,  side 
panels,  and  tail-pieces,  could  easily  be  shifted  and 
a  certain  variety  obtained  by  being  differently 
made  up.  Here  we  may  see  commercialism  creep- 
ing in.  Considerations  of  profit  and  economy  no 
doubt  have  their  effect,  and  mechanical  invention 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVTH   CENTURY. 


FIOR   DI    VIRTU. 


1498  (FLORENCE,  1493?) 


comes  in  to  cheapen  not  only  labour,  but  artistic 
invention  also. 

It  took  some  time,  however,  to  turn  the  printer 
into  the  manufacturer  or  tradesman  pure  and 
simple.  Nothing  is  more  striking  than  the  high 
artistic  character  of  the  early  printed  books.  The 
invention  of  printing,  coming  as  it  did  when  the 
illuminated  MSS.  had  reached  the  period  of  its 
greatest  glory  and  perfection,  with  the  artistic 

58 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


C'INCtPtT  EXPOSITfO  BEAT!  HIERONYMI 
PRAESBYTERI  IN  PSALTERIVM.  EX  PR1MO 
PROLOGVSEIVSDEM* 


ROXIME    CVM   ORIGENfS 

>falt«iuj  quod  Enchiridion UJc  uocabat 
tnftis  &  ncccflaiiis  incerptxtatjonibuj 
nnotaturo  in  comunelegeiemus :  limuJ 
iter<5  deprzhedimus  nonnulla  eum  ud 
ierftnnxiflelcuitet:uel  mufta  poenitus  re 
iqaifTeidequibusin  alio  opcrc  larifli 
bfpauuiRquo  fallen  nonpoceatte  ma 
piambrenifcwnoneconcJudere.  Iglnu 


>ro  familutitate  qa*  taut  noi  e»:ftudio 
'<  &  fcdaJe  poitalalb:ut  quxri^  mibj  dl 
jnamcmotu  uidcbantui  fignu  quibaf' 
lam  pottos  qua  ioterpccuaonibasad 


iota  tern.  £t  (quod  folcnt  hi  £n«e  qui  in 
•n  fituj  pinguci:&  laafliniaj  rcgiontj  in 


(nodicofpatioconantatoftendcrtjiuinplaltcrii  opctciatifliino  quad 


ptztcriejaJiqiiapciftnngere:utex  paucu  qux  ttngifltm  inttlligantur 
•CM 


citeMqusommnTalunt:quamuimhabcantat(j  rarionem.Non 
putem  anepo(Tedkiquxilief»tcoit:(cdquo  uqaxinThunuucl 
homdiu  ipfcdiflctuitaclego  dignaaibitioi  icdioncun  hunc  aoguftu 
com mcntanofum  rtf cram.  Pfalccr mm  graccum  cft:&  latine  organum 
dicimcquem  h ebrci  nablath  uocant .  Pialmds  diiinineo  qtf  a  pfa! t e- 
nonomcnaccepicuclprofjltandum.  Quamnis  Dauid  omoes  plal- 
mos  camafleciamcn  omncspfalmiin  ptiionachnfti  pettinent:&  qui 
pizuuilad  eSfe  non  uiden  tunapud  hcbteos  pio  uno  plalmo  babentur. 
NampatituluminteUigicwuniufcnraf^pulniiinielJcaus.  Quid  eft 
timlus mfi  clauu.^ Vt ita duenm)  mdomo no igtcditui niC pet  ckuim 
ita  &  uniufcuiufij  pfalmi  imelkdus  per  daucroiboccftpcttinilumin 
telligitunin  cuiiu  pcribna  canutunaui.io  poToua  cbnfhiaut  ID  pedbna 
cccleiixaut  in  pufona  prophets:. 

aAA  2 


STEPHANO   CAESENATE   PEREGRINI    INVENTORE   (s.C.    P. I.).       (VENICE,    DE 

GREGORIIS,    1498.) 

59 


THE   RENAISSANCE. 

traditions  of  fifteen  centuries  poured,  as  it  were, 
into  its  lap,  filling  its  founts  with  beautiful  letter- 
ing, and  guiding  the  pencil  of  its  designers  with  a 
still  unbroken  sense  of  fitness  and  perfect  adap- 
tability ;  while  as  yet  the  influence  of  the  revival  of 
classic  learning  and  mythology  was  only  felt  as  the 
stirring  and  stimulating  breath  of  new  awakening 
spring — the  aroma  of  spice-laden  winds  from  un- 
known shores  of  romance — or  as  the  mystery  and 
wonder  of  discovery,  standing  on  the  brink  of  a 
half-disclosed  new  world,  and  fired  with  the  thought 
of  its  possibilities — 

"Or  like  stout  Cortez  when  with  eagle  eyes 
He  stared  at  the  Pacific." 

Had  the  discovery  of  printing  occurred  two  or 
three  centuries  earlier,  it  would  have  been  curious 
to  see  the  results.  But  after  all,  an  invention 
never  lives  until  the  world  is  ready  to  adopt  it. 
It  is  impossible  to  say  how  many  inventions  are 
new  inventions.  "  Ask  and  ye  shall  have,"  or  the 
practical  application  of  it,  is  the  history  of  civiliza- 
tion. Necessity,  the  stern  mother,  compels  her 
children  to  provide  for  their  own  physical  and  in- 
tellectual necessities,  and  in  due  time  the  hour  and 
the  man  (with  his  invention)  arrives. 

Classical  mythology  and  Gothic  mysticism  and 
romance  met  together  in  the  art  and  books  of  the 
early  Renaissance.  Ascetic  aspiration  strives  with 
frank  paganism  and  nature  worship.  The  gods  of 
ancient  Greece  and  Rome  seemed  to  awake  after 
an  enchanted  sleep  of  ages,  and  reappear  again 
unto  men. 

Italy,  having  hardly  herself  ever  broken  with 
61 


OF  THE  TRANSITION. 

the  ancient  traditions  of  Classical  art  and  religion, 
became  the  focus  of  the  new  light,  and  her  inde- 
pendent republics,  such  as  Florence  and  Venice, 
the  centres  of  wealth,  culture,  refinement,  and 
artistic  invention.  Turkish  conquest,  too,  had  its 
effect  on  the  development  of  the  new  movement 
by  driving  Greek  scholars  and  the  knowledge  of 
the  classical  writers  of  antiquity  Westward.  These 
were  all  materials  for  an  exceptional  development 
of  art,  and,  above  all,  of  the  art  of  the  printer,  and 
the  decoration  and  illustration  of  books. 

The  name  of  Aldus,  of  Venice,  is  famous  among 
V/  those  of  the  early  Renaissance  printers.  Perhaps 
the  most  remarkable  book,  from  this  or  any  press, 
for  the  beauty  of  its  decorative  illustration,  is  the 
Poliphili  Hypnerotomachia — "  The  Dream  of  Poli- 
philus" — printed  in  1499,  an  allegorical  romance 
of  love  in  the  manner  of  those  days.  The  author- 
ship of  the  design  has  been  the  subject  of  much 
speculation.  I  believe  they  were  attributed  at  one 
time  to  Mantegna,  and  they  have  also  been 
ascribed  to  one  of  the  Bellini.  The  style  of  the 
designer,  the  quality  of  the  outline,  the  simplicity 
yet  richness  of  the  designs,  their  poetic  feeling, 
the  mysticism  of  some,  and  frank  paganism  of 
others,  places  the  series  quite  by  themselves. 
The  first  edition  is  now  very  difficult  to  obtain, 
and  might  cost  something  like  100  guineas. 

My  illustrations  are  taken  from  the  copy  in  the 
Art  Library  at  South  Kensington  Museum,  and 
are  from  negatives  taken  by  Mr.  Griggs,  for  the 
Science  and  Art  Department,  who  have  issued 
a  set  of  reproductions  in  photo-lithography,  by 
him,  of  the  whole  of  the  woodcuts  in  the  volume, 

62 


I 


65 


ITALIAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


rATHES 
fet^Og 

BERNARDII^fiBriSVBRES 


NOMINVStADMAGNO 
RQMASVFERBAllTO' 


ALESSANDRO  MINUZIANO.      (MILAN,  DESIGNER  UNKNOWN,  1503.) 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


I 


LIBER  PRIMVS 

|  CLIBER  PRIMVS  IN  SVPPLEMENTVM  SVPPLEMENTI  CRONI, 
CARVM  :  AB  IPSO  PRIMO  AVGTORE  FRATRE  IACOBO  PHILIP, 
PO  BERGOMENSBACCVRATORE  STyDJO  REPERCVSSVM  : 

FOELidTBR  INOPIT! 

PRINdPK)  CREAV1T  DEVS  COELVM 
Et  mam  .  Terra  autan  cm  inanfc  «  incompofita  : 


throtooadh 


cemens  confcribere  kgec 
ietan  couentemem  traderedifcfplmaranon  OHO 
nibus  4c  trids  arordiis  uri  uolui  tt  fed  nihil  porius 
daotm  :  quam  prifcorum  geoens  ful  rheokjgiam  ad 


lipflus  hyftorfcrn  jqcepit.Nec  ut  extent  natipes  mul 

jtitudincmdeorurn.falfomrroducere  poluiri  fcda  pri 
I  ma  uifi  bilturri  omniuroi  atcp  inuifibiiium  caufa  exor 
'fuKillura  docuit  creatorem  efle  uniuerfi;regeroqj:  at 
i :  Et  non  fokun  qna$  ipfc  fcripturos  eflet  legum  roatertas .  Verum 
i  nature  ipGuscuftu  folo  nurma  non  ente  fimplici rer  cuncla  fuiue  produ/ 
da  odendit :  coius  qukfetn  utrtutetpmrua  quzpcodocla  funt  gubernari  docet . 
Et  icorco  fie  exordiens  ait.  In  principio  creauit  deus  cceium: &  terraro .  Pro  quu 
bus  txrbicAorelun pater  AoguAinus in.xi.dc  Cudci:fic  intulit  cbcens.  Vifi bih- 
uoj omnium marimus eft  mundus-Inuifibilium  ueto  tnaximus  eft  dais: fed  man 
efle cdaQtfdmasdeam aero  credimas .Quod autem deus  fee eri t  muhdum 
sttedimus  quam  fpfi  dco.  Vbi(forte  inquies)ipfum  audiuimus^Nu  i> 
iidoos nxliuirquam  in  fcriptuds  fanclis:  V bi  dixie  prophe 
i  fiiusjn  prindpio  fecit  deus  coclura  6t  cerram.  Nunquid-nam  ibi  tune  mil  ille 


t  tjaam  fa<3a  font  opinia«qu«  etiara  fepe  m  animai  fe'tranftirt  :  ami/ 
h«ai  dri  conlUmem  :  quibCK  Si  fiu  opera  in  tus  fine  ftrcpitu  enarrat: 

rquotpn'sangeJtcJdiquilerDptruidcntfacifm  dcVuoluntatenxjcius: 
u  qoz  oporrct  (crnper  anundant.Et  propurea  ex  its  unui  oat  i  ftc  prophe 
tarqui  d&if  &  fcripfic.  In  principio  cteauit  dcus  cerium  Kterram  .  Terra  autem 
erat  inanis  &  incompofita  .  Inform!*  qui  ppe  ilia  maceria  erarquam  de  nihilo  f& 
tit  deus  apprllata  pnmum  ccckim  &  tcrra:Ec  di<3um  eft  .  In  pt  mcipio  fccicdeus 
cadum  &  terra  m:  ncn  quia  Jam  hoc  diet  fed  qui'a  hoc  cffe  poterat  .  Nam  8i  ax* 
lum  poftea  fcribi  tur  f  ad  um.Quf  madmodumrfi  arbom  femen  confiderantcs-.di 
carous:ibi  efle  radices^  robur:&  ramos^  frudus:ac  folia:non  quia  iam  finufed 
quia  inde  furura  funt;  Ac  fie  diclum  e(K  In  principio  fecit  deusccdum&  otrratw 
q  uafi  ieroen  ccel  i  &  terne-.cum  adhuc  in  con  fufo  coeli  Si  terne  roa  rcrta  efie  t:  fed 
[  quia  ccrciffiraum  fiat  .-indefuturum  efle  coelum&terram  :iam&ilta  materia 
cocJum  &:  terra  appejiataeft.  Hancuaqjfpaciofarn  fbrroamcma  effigiecaren 


SCHOOL  OF  GIOV.  BELLINI. 

(VENICE,  GEORGIUS  DE  RUSCONIBUS,  1506.) 


& 
t> 

& 

w 
u 


ffi 
u 

c/3 


£ 


E3 


71 


ITALIAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY 


AVLX  GELII  NOCTW 
MENTARH. 


ATTICARVM  C 

LIBER  PRIM  VS. 
.VTARCHVSIN  LJBROQuem 

•  ' 


irideft  quantum  inter  homines  animt  cor 
Iporifque  itigemo  atqoe  uirtutibus  imerfic :  con* 

I  fcripfitjfate  fuboliterq)  rocmatum  Pythagord 
I  phifofophum  didt:in  repencnda :  modufedaqj 
r  llatus  longi'tudints  ci'us  prxflatia  •  Nam  quum 
I  fere  conftaret  curriculum  ftadii :  quod  eft  pifis 
ud  louem  dympnim  :Hcrculem  peoibus  fu/ 


is  mctarjnmJcp  fcciTTe  (onoum  pedes  ducetos:cztcra  quoq;  ftadia  in  ter 
•ris  gi»ciz  ab  aluspoftea  mftautajpedum  quidem  eflr  numero  dttcento* 
rum  :fed  tamen  efle  aliquantulum  brcuioraifacilc  incelfcxft  modum  :  fpa»  ; 
|  a'umqj  planta:  -Hcrculis  rauonc  propora'onis  habifauanto  f  uifTe:  ^  altoru 
procf  rius:quar.toolympicum  fbdium  longius  ciTct:q  cetera  .  Comprau 
htnCaaiJtemmefurahcrcuIanipedisfmnaturalcm  membro^'  omnium 
inter  fc  copctenaam  modiffcacus  eft,  Atqj  ita  id  co!icgit:quod  crat  'confe* 
quens:tantofuifTcHcrculemcotporeexcclfiorcm:qalios;quajjtooIymx' 


clcum  ftadium  czteris  pan  numero  fadis  anrcirct. 


aaero  ftoico  founxu  uulgus 
;qui  fe  ftotcos  noncapafcnt.       Capotju 
sAttioisufrKgraxafacandiaiKccmfuIanhotiorepra: 

accrrfcbatfapenosiquurnapudmagiftrosatheniscffci 
os:in  uilfas  eius  urbtproximasanc  K  clariffirnum  uiru  Scr  1 

um:cop/urifqjatos  noftrates  :  qui  Roma  in  Grzciam: 
i  mgehiicuitum  concefTcrantAtxj  t'bi.  tune  quum  edemas 
lcuminuilla:cuinomcncftcq>hyfi;a:«Jcftuanni:&ficIereaunMni 
anulltmopropullabamas  calorisincomodaluco^  umbra  ti 
longis  aibbu!acris:Sd  moliibus  jcdium  pofcicum  rcfrigeramibus 
nitidis:«  abundis-.K  colfucentibus:totmfa  oillztrcnuftatc-aquis: 


AULUS  GELLIUS,  PRINTED  BY  GIOV.  TACUINO.  (VENICE,    1509.) 

73 


ITALIAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


J0^.f  abu^mnnlianiozororiaram  infti 
tnrionum.^nacu  annotatiombuef 


bula  peralpbabe- 

mm  uooitcr 
addita. 


QUINTILIAN.  (VENICE,    GEORGIUS  DE  RUSCONIBUS,  1512.) 

75 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


CSecudapawoperisdmcsE  paffionwK  rcfttrreclio- 
nix  die  idagat^  iudxoyt  Cup  hoc  argumeta  confutat, 

TH  multa  funtargumenra, 
quibiu  iudzi  magn/m  no 
bis  calumnia  folcnr  aflrue 
re,&  fidcm  fpcratz  a  nobis 
refurrefiionis  ftulta  garru/ 
Htatederidere,mhac  tame 
lucubrariuncula-noftra  ea 
duntaxat  confutare  aggre^ 

diemur,quxdominiczpaf 

iionis  &  returreftionis  materiam  concernunt.SoIet 

nanm  obftinatum  illud ,  &  feruilc  iudzorum  pecu  > 

in  Chrifti  (aluatoris  blafphemiam  exirc  propcufms 

Kin  chriltianorum  calumniam  inCulrare.audcnauj 

I  &  confidcntius ,  quia  legis  noftroc  munimenra  non 

pauca  ex  auita  ipforttm  relig^one  mutuati  fumus 

|  ea  pnccipue,quz  agni  pafchalis  typo^domiui  paflio 

nem  fignificabant:quo  He  uc  pcrperam  interpretaft 

tes  Iegem,&  diuini  lacra  menti  my ftenum  conrami 

nantcs ^rtiulras  indies  calumnias  no  bis  inferre  no  de 

fifbnt,nunquam  cauillandi  finem  facienres:adeo  $ 

j  corinuisfubfanationibus  nos  lace(!entes,&  fmgulas 

I  obfcruatjoncsnoilrasdcteftatespcrpctuisipfo^co/- 

I  Jtumelii5,atty  conuitiis  Cmus  obnoxii:  non  folum  in 

pafcbac  celeb  rariane  obfcruatione  noftram  ludibrio 

I  jnaximoqj  opprob rio  ducentcs(de  quo  fu period  lu 

cubratiuncuia  noftra  fcripfimus)ueru  eriam  i  dfiice 

paiTionix  my  (lerio  rudiUtL^ifcicutnos  ifunulate? 

A.    ii 


OTTAVIANO   DEI   PETRUCCI.  (FOSSOMBRONE,   1513.) 

77 


CAXTON. 

of  the  original  size,  at  the  price,  I  believe,  of 
55.  6d.  Here  is  an  instance  of  what  photographic 
reproduction  can  do  for  us  —  when  originals 
of  great  works  are  costly  or  unattainable  we  can 
get  reproductions  for  a  few  shillings,  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes  as  good  for  study  as  the  originals 
themselves.  If  we  cannot,  in  this  age,  produce 
great  originals,  we  can  at  least  reproduce  them — 
perhaps  the  next  best  thing. 

There  is  a  French  edition  of  Poliphilus  printed 
at  Paris,  by  Kerver,  in  I56I,1  which  has  a  frontis- 
piece designed  by  Jean  Cousin.  The  illustrations, 
too,  have  all  been  redrawn,  and  are  treated  in 
quite  a  different  manner  from  the  Venetian 
originals — but  they  have  a  character  of  their 
own,  though  of  a  later,  florid,  and  more  self- 
conscious  type,  as  might  be  expected  from  Paris 
in  the  latter  half  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The 
initial  letters  of  a  series  of  chapters  in  the  book 
spell,  if  read  consecutively,  Francisco  Columna 
(F.R.A.N.C.I.S.C.O.  C.O.L.V.M.N.A.)  —  the 
name  of  the  writer  of  the  romance. 

Whether  such  designs  as  these  were  intended 
to  be  coloured  is  doubtful.  They  are  very  satis- 
factory as  they  are  in  outline,  and  want  nothing 
else.  The  book  may  be  considered  as  an  illus- 
trated one,  drawings  of  monuments,  fountains, 
standards,  emblems,  and  devices  are  placed  here 
and  there  in  the  text,  but  they  are  so  charmingly 
designed  and  drawn  that  the  effect  is  decorative, 
and  being  in  open  line  the  mechanical  conditions 
are  perfectly  fulfilled  of  surface  printing  with  the 
type. 

1  The  first  French  edition  is  dated  1546. 
79 


OF  THE  TRANSITION. 

After  the  beautiful  productions  of  the  German, 
Italian  (of  which  some  reproductions  are  given 
here),  and  French  printers,  our  own  William 
Caxton's  first  books  seem  rather  rough,  though 
not  without  character,  and,  at  any  rate,  picturesque- 
ness,  if  they  cannot  be  quoted  as  very  accomplished 
examples  of  the  printer's  art.  The  first  book 
printed  in  England  is  said  to  be  Caxton's  "  Dictes 
and  Sayings  of  the  Philosophers,"  printed  by  him 
at  Westminster  in  1477. 

A  noticeable  characteristic  of  the  early  printed 

?  .books   is    the    development    of    the   title   page. 

"Whereas  the  MSS.  generally  did  without  one, 
with  the  advent  of  printing  the  title  page  became 
more  and  more  important,  and  even  if  there  were 
no  other  illustrations  or  ornaments  in  a  book,  there 
was  often  a  woodcut  title.  Such  examples  as  some 
here  given  convey  a  good  idea  of  what  charming 
decorative  feeling  these  title  page  designs  some- 
times displayed,  and  those  greatest  of  designers 
and  book  decorators  and  illustrators,  Albrecht 
Dlirer  and  Hans  Holbein,  showed  their  power 
and  decorative  skill,  and  sense  of  the  resources 
of  the  woodcut,  in  the  designs  made  by  them  for 
various  title  pages. 

The  noble  designs  of  the  master  craftsman  of 
Nuremberg,  Albrecht  Diirer,  are  well  known.  His 
extraordinary  vigour  of  drawing,  and  sense  of  its 
resources  as  applied  to  the  woodcut,  made  him  a 
great  force  in  the  decoration  and  illustration  of 
books,  and  many  are  the  splendid  designs  from 
his  hand.  Three  designs  from  the  fine  series  of 
the  Little  Passion  and  two  of  his  title  pages  are 
given,  which  show  him  on  the  strictly  decorative 

80 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


ALBRECHT   DURER,    "  KLEINE   PASSION."  (NUREMBERG,  1512.) 

8l  G 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


ALBRECHT  DURER,    "  KLEINE  PASSION."  (NUREMBERG,    1512.) 

83 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


ALBRECHT   DURER,    "  KLEINE   PASSION." 


(NUREMBERG,  1512.) 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY 


PLVTARCHI  CHAERONEI 

DE  HIS  Q  VI TARDE  A 

NVMINE  CORRI- 

PIVNTVR  LI* 

BELLVS. 

Alia  Cynic  Epicurus  cu 
t        dixi(Tet,ac  priufqg  vllum 
tuliflct  rcfponfum,(qua* 
doquide  iuxta  Porcicus 
J  vcrfabamur  extremitatem,)  oppido 
i  fc  noftro  pripiens  c  cofpcdu ,  abiit* 
'Nos  vcro  tanqg  homfs  adrairati  im» 
portunitate,taciri,  inuiccmc»  dcfixi, 
aliquatifpcr  coftitirous,  Incfc  rurfus 
ad  prifHna  reuerfi  fumus  [deambu* 
Iatione»Prior  itacp  Patrodes,quin  in* 
quic/i  itavn'dcf,qujeftione  ftancdi* 
fcutiamus/ermooihufqj  illatis,  tan* 
5  co  prafente,  6C'non  prasfentc,  re< 
rpodcamus.Sufcipies  vero  Timon, 
a  iii 


ALBRECHT  DURER.        (NUREMBERG,  HEINRICH  STEYNER,  1513.) 

87 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


PLVTARCHVS  CHAE* 

RONEVS 
De  GDmpefcenda  Ira« 
De  Garruhtate, 
DeCuriofitace, 
DC  iis  qui  fcro  a  nu# 
mine  corripiuntur, 
De  vitanda  Vfura. 


BILIBALDO  PIRCKHEYM& 
RO  INTERPRETED 


NurfmBerg^tpudPrfderfcam  Pey 
pus.  Anno  M.D.XXIII. 


DESIGNED   BY   ALBRECHT   DURER.  (NUREMBERG,    1523.) 

89 


HANS   HOLBEIN. 

side.  The  title  dated  1523  may  be  compared 
with  that  of  Oronce  Fine  (Paris,  1534).  There 
appears  to  have  been  a  return  to  this  convoluted 
knotted  kind  of  ornament  at  this  period.  It 
appears  in  Italian  MSS.  earlier,  and  may  have 
been  derived  from  Byzantine  sources. 

There    is    a   fine 

title  page  designed  GER'  SCHOOL  XVIxn  CENT, 
by  Holbein,  printed 
by  Petri,  at  Basle,  in 
1524.  It  was  ori- 
ginally designed  and 
used  for  an  edition 
of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, printed  by  the 
same  Adam  Petri  in 
1523.  At  the  four 
corners  are  the  sym- 
bols of  the  Evangel- 
ists; the  arms  of  the 
city  of  Basle  are  in 
the  centre  of  the 
upper  border,  and 
the  printer's  device 
occupies  a  corre-  HOLBEIN. 
spending  space  THE  NUN. 
below.  Figures  of 


DANCE  OF  DEATH. 
(LYONS,  1538.) 


SS.  Peter  and  Paul  are  in  the  niches  at  each  side. 
But  the  work  always  most  associated  with  the 
name  of  Holbein  is  the  remarkable  little  book  con- 
taining the  series  of  designs  known  as  the  "  Dance 
\J  of  Death/'  the  first  edition  of  which  was  printed  at 
Lyons  in  1538.  The  two  designs  here  given  are 
printed  from  the  blocks  cut  by  Bonner  and  Byfield 


GER.  SCHOOL.     XVlTH  CENT. 


HANS   HOLBEIN. 

(1833).  These  cuts  are  only  about  2\  by  2  inches, 
and  yet  an  extraordinary  amount  of  invention, 
graphic  power,  dramatic  and  tragic  force,  and  grim 
and  satiric  humour,  is  compressed  into  them.  They 
stand  quite  alone  in  the  history  of  art,  and  give  a 
wonderfully  interesting  and  complete  series  of 

illustrations    of   the 
life  of  the  sixteenth 
century.    Holbein  is 
supposed     to     have 
painted  this  "Dance 
of    Death"    in    the 
palace      of     Henry 
VIII.,     erected     by 
Cardinal  Wolsey  at 
Whitehall,  life  size  ; 
but     this     was    de- 
stroyed  in    the   fire 
which     consumed 
nearly  the  whole  of 
that  palace  in  1697. 
The  Bible  cuts  of 
Hans    Holbein    are 
also     a    very    fine 
series,   and  remark- 
(LYONS,  1538.)  able       for       their 
breadth  and  simpli- 
city of  line,  as  well  as  decorative  effect  on  the  page. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that   Holbein's  father 
and  grandfather  both  practised  engraving  and  paint- 
ing at  Augsburg,  while  his  brother  Ambrose  was 
also  a  fertile  book  illustrator.     Hans  Holbein  the 
elder  married  a  daughter  of  the  elder  Burgmair, 
father  of  the  famous  Hans  Burgmair,  examples  of 

92 


HOLBEIN, 


DANCE  OF  DEATH/ 


THE  PLOUGHMAN. 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


<*5GALLIA 

TERTIA     EVROPAE    TABV1A.    CONTI- 


netGaltias  in  qiwuor  prouincijs  cum  fnfulis 
ftbiadiacr  ntibu*.  ParaH*  lus ipfarummedi/ 
us.Proporfionftn  habcr  ad  mendianum,qu5 
duo  ad  rria.Circumfcribicuf  tabula  fpfa  ab  or 
tu  Italia  &  Rhctia  «c  Germ ania  .  A  meridic 
mart  GalUco.  Ab  occafu  montibus  Pyrcrur/ 
is  &  occano  Ac^u/tanko .  A  Sepcsntrione, 
oceanoBntannico. 

H  m    Hm 
HtiialauuH     u  4oJ*    fo 


HANS   HOLBEIN. 


(BASEL,  ADAM  PETRI,  «/rtz  1524.) 
93 


THE   GERMAN   MASTERS. 

whose  fine  and  vigorous  style    of   drawing    are 
given. 

Albrecht  Dlirer  and  Holbein,  indeed,  seem  to 
express  and  to  sum  up  all  the  vigour  and  power 
of  design  of  that  very  vigorous  and  fruitful  time 
of  the  German  Renaissance.  They  had  able 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


HANS   HOLBEIN. 


HIST.    VET.  TEST.    ICONIBUS    ILLUSTRATA. 


contemporaries,  ot  course,  among  whom  are 
distinguished,  Lucas  Cranach  (the  elder)  born 
1470,  and  Hans  Burgmair,  already  named,  who 
was  associated  with  Dtirer  in  the  work  of  the 
celebrated  series  of  woodcuts,  "  The  Triumphs 
of  Maximilian  ; "  one  of  the  fine  series  of  "  Der 
Weiss  Konig,"  a  noble  title  page,  and  a  vigorous 
drawing  of  peasants  at  work  in  a  field,  here 
represent  him.  Other  notable  designers  were 

95     % 


THE  GERMAN  TRADITION. 

Hans  Sebald  Beham,  Hans  Baldung  Griin,  Hans 
Wachtlin,  Jost  Amman,  and  others,  who  carried 
on  the  German  style  or  tradition  in  design  to  the 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century.  This  tradition  of 
convention  was  technically  really  the  mode  of  ex- 
pression best  fitted  to  the  conditions  of  the  woodcut 


GERMAN   SCHOOL 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


EA>~5    EjLZII> 


HI5I.    VZT.    TEST.    ICOXIBV5   ILLUSTRATA. 


and  the  press,  under  which  were  evolved  the  vigor- 
ous pen  line  characteristic  of  the  German  masters. 
It  was  a  living  condition  in  which  each  could 
work  freely,  bringing  in  his  own  fresh  observation 
and  individual  feeling,  while  remaining  in  collec- 
tive harmony. 

The  various  marks  adopted  by  the  printers 
themselves  are  often  decorative  devices  of  great 
interest  and  beaut)*.  The  French  printers,  Gillett 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


HOLBEIN.       "DAS  GANTZE  NEUE  TESTAMENT,"  ETC. 

(BASEL,  1523.) 


97 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


HANS   BURGMAIR. 


"DER  WEISS  KONIG"  (1512-14). 
99 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


IORNAN  " 

DESDEREBVS 

GOTHORVM.PAV 

LVSDIACONVS 

FOROIVLIEN* 

SIS  DE  GESTIS 

LANGOBARDO 

RVM 


HANS   BURGMAIR. 


IOI 


(AUGSBURG,  1516.) 


H 


u 


8 
5 

c/j 


O 


103 


u 

K 
H 

HH 

X 


o 

0 

ffi 
u 

CO 


o 


^ 

o    M 


PRINTERS'  MARKS. 

Hardouyn  and  Thielman  Kerver,  for  instance, 
had  charming  devices  with  which  they  generally 
occupied  the  front  page  of  their  Books  of  Hours. 


Ou0  ^nobfe  narifoluatot?  trie  pet 
Die  cdebjare  ocfauu:fac  rtoe  qma 
ci9  E  Ptfua  muimtate  mun(r(:  cue9  ftim9 
carnali  comercib  regati.  Qvi  cu  Deo  pa^ 


Its 

f  urn 

fancnim 

colimoa 

bodie 

fteUam* 


fepiutru 
bodie  vC 
mnt« 


ctucad 
pvif 

HANS  BALDUNG  GRtJN.      "  HORTULUS  ANIM^." 
(STRASSBURG,    MARTIN    FLACH,    1511.) 

Others  were  pictorial  puns  and  embodied  the 
name  of  the  printer  under  some  figure,  such  as 
that  of  Petri  of  Basle,  who  adopted  a  device  of  a 

107 


PRINTERS'   MARKS. 

stone,  which  the  flames  and  the  hammer  stroke 
failed  to  destroy  ;  or  the  mark  of  Philip  le  Noir  — 
a  black  shield  with  a  negro  crest  and  supporter  ; 


gatoe 
oieafm 


kticie  ec 
fdfctta'' 


cttefen* 

cnejfati 
ccio: 


cio:  vni 
uerfie. 


fciee  mi 
fcricor/ 


.^uc  ed  vfufe  g^iidfom  i  t>e^ 
ngeriO.SaIue  Diee  p:edarat 
anorlto  i  boite  cbara  j  in  qua  noe  jcfua 
rcdemft:i  planctu  noflrfi  t'li  gaudm  cwi 
:  m  q  cofoiantaf 
' 


HANS    BALDUNG   GRUN.       u  HORTULUS   ANIM^." 
(STRASSBURG,    MARTIN    FLACH,    1511.) 

or  the  palm  tree  of  Palma  Isingrin.  Others  were 
purely  emblematic  and  heraldic,  such  as  the 
dolphin  twined  round  the  anchor,  of  Aldus,  with 

1  08 


EMBLEM   BOOKS. 

the  motto  "  Proper  a  tarde" — "  hasten  slowly." 
This,  and  another  device  of  a  crab  holding  a 
butterfly  by  its  wings,  with  the  same  signification, 
are  both  borrowed  from  the  favourite  devices  of 
two  of  the  early  emperors  of  Rome — Augustus 
and  Titus.  This 
symbolic,  emblem- 
atic, allegorizing  ten- 
dency which  had 
been  more  or  less 
characteristic  of  both 
art  and  literature,  in 
various  degrees,  from 
the  most  ancient 
times,  became  more 
systematically  culti- 
vated, and  collections 
of  emblems  began 
to  appear  in  book 
form  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  The  earliest 
being  that  of  Alciati, 
the  first  edition  of 
whose  book  appeared 
in  1 522,  edition  after 
edition  following 

each  other  from  various  printers  and  places  from 
that  date  to  1621,  with  ever-increasing  additions, 
and  being  translated  into  French,  German,  and 
Italian.  Mr.  Henry  Green,  the  author  of 
"  Shakespeare  and  the  Emblem  Writers  "  (written 
to  prove  Shakespeare's  acquaintance  with  the 
emblem  books,  and  constant  allusions  to  emblems), 
said  of  Alciati's  book  that  "  it  established,  if  it 

109 


HANS   BALDUNG  GRUN. 

"  HORTULUS 


(STRASSBURG,   1 5IO-I  I.) 


EMBLEM   BOOKS. 

did  not  introduce,  a  new  style  for  emblem  literature 
— the  classical,  in  the  place  of  the  simply  grotesque 
and  humorous,  or  of  the  heraldic  and  mystic." 

There  is  an  edition  of  Alciati  printed  at  Lyons 
(Bonhomme),  1551,  a  reprint  of  which  was  pub- 
lished by  the  Hol- 
bein Society  in  1881. 
The  figure  designs 
and  the  square  wood- 
cut subjects  are  sup- 
posed to  be  the  work 
of  Solomon  Bernard 
— called  the  little  Ber- 
nard— born  at  Lyons 
in  1522.  These  are 
surrounded  by  elabo- 
rate and  rather  heavy 
decorative  borders,  in 
the  style  of  the  later 
Renaissance,  by  an- 
other hand,  some  of 
them  bearing  the 

HANS   BALDUNG   GRUN.  r>   W 

monogram       P.V., 

••   TJ  rf"i  T>  TT  T  T  TTC       A  "NT  TAT  JJ?      *  *-^ 

JblvJrCl  ULUo     /A.  IN  1  JYL/iij*  -|    •     *          i  i 

(STRASSBURG,  1510-11.)   pi jned tome^either 
Pierino  del  Vaga,  the 

painter  (a  pupil  of  Raphael's),  or  Petro  de 
Vingles,  a  printer  of  Lyons. 

These  borders,  as  we  learn  from  a  preface  to 
one  of  the  editions  ("  Ad  Lectorem  " — Roville's 
Latin  text  of  the  emblems),  were  intended  as 
patterns  for  various  craftsmen.  "  For  I  say  this 
is  their  use,  that  as  often  as  any  one  may  wish  to 
assign  fulness  to  empty  things,  ornament  to  base 

1 10 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


Sequcriarum 


toculetamterpjcfafio:  I 
ncdiifcfoolafttcie/fcd 


Anno  dni  .M.D.X1II. 


HANS  WACHTLIN.  (STRASSBURG,    MATHIAS   SCHURER,   1513.) 

Ill 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


HANS  SEBALD    BEHAM.      "  DAS  PAPSTTHUM  MIT    SEINEN  GLIEDERN." 

(NUREMBERG,  HANS  WANDEREISEN,  1526.) 


EMBLEMS. 

things,  speech  to  dumb  things,  and  reason  to 
senseless  things,  he  may,  from  a  little  book  of 
emblems,  as  from  an  excellently  well-prepared 
hand-book,  have  what  he  may  be  able  to  impress 
on  the  walls  of  houses,  on  windows  of  glass,  on 
tapestry,  on  hangings,  on  tablets,  vases,  ensigns, 
seals,  garments,  the  table,  the  couch,  the  arms, 
the  sword,  and  lastly,  furniture  of  every  kind." 

An  emblem  has  been  defined  ("  Cotgrave's 
Dictionary,"  Art.  "  Emblema  ")  as  "  a  picture  and 
short  posie,  expressing  some  particular  conceit ; " 
and  by  Francis  Quarles  as  "  but  a  silent  parable  ;" 
and  Bacon,  in  his  "Advancement  of  Learning," 
says  : — "  Embleme  deduceth  conceptions  intellec- 
tuall  to  images  sensible,  and  that  which  is  sensible 
more  fully  strikes  the  memory,  and  is  more  easily 
imprinted  than  that  which  is  intellectual." 

All  was  fish  that  fell  into  the  net  of  the  emblem 
writer  or  deviser ;  hieroglyphic,  heraldry,  fable, 
mythology,  the  ancient  Egyptians,  Homer,  ancient 
Greece  and  Rome,  Christianity,  or  pagan  philo- 
sophy, all  in  their  turn  served 

"  To  point  a  moral  and  adorn  a  tale." 

As  to  the  artistic  quality  of  the  designs  which  are 
found  in  these  books,  they  are  of  very  various 
quality,  those  of  the  earlier  sixteenth  century  with 
woodcuts  being  naturally  the  best  and  most 
vigorous,  corresponding  in  character  to  the  quali- 
ties of  the  contemporary  design.  Holbein's 
"  Dance  of  Death,"  or  rather  "  Images  and  Storied 
Aspects  of  Death,"  its  true  title,  might  be  called 
an  emblem  book,  but  very  few  can  approach  it  in 

"5 


THE  COPPER-PLATE. 

artistic  quality.  Some  of  the  devices  in  early 
editions  of  the  emblem  books  of  Giovio,  Witney, 
and  even  the  much  later  Quarles  have  a  certain 
quaintness ;  but  though  such  books  necessarily 
depended  on  their  illustrations,  the  moral  and 
philosophic,  or  epigrammatic  burden  proved  in  the 
end  more  than  the  design  could  carry,  when  the 
impulse  which  characterized  the  early  Renaissance 
had  declined,  and  design,  as  applied  to  books, 
became  smothered  with  classical  affectation  and 
pomposity,  and  the  clear  and  vigorous  wood- 
cut was  supplanted  by  the  doubtful  advantage  of 
the  copper-plate.  The  introduction  of  the  use 
of  the  copper-plate  marks  a  new  era  in  book  illus- 
tration, but  as  regards  their  decoration,  one  of 
distinct  decline.  While  the  surface-printed  block, 
whether  woodcut  or  metal  engraving  (by  which 
method  many  of  the  early  book  illustrations  were 
rendered)  accorded  well  with  the  conditions  of  the 
letter-press  printing,  as  they  were  set  up  with  the 
type  and  printed  by  the  same  pressure  in  the  same 
press.  With  copper-plate  quite  other  conditions 
came  in,  as  the  paper  has  to  be  pressed  into  the 
etched  or  engraved  lines  of  the  plate,  instead  of 
being  impressed  by  the  lines  in  relief  of  the  wood 
or  the  metal.  Thus,  with  the  use  of  copper-plate 
illustrations  in  printed  books,  that  mechanical 
relation  which  exists  between  a  surface-printed 
block  and  the  letter-press  was  at  once  broken,  as 
a  different  method  of  printing  had  to  be  used. 
The  apparent,  but  often  specious,  refinement  of 
the  copper-plate  did  not  necessarily  mean  extra 
power  or  refinement  of  draughtsmanship  or  design, 
but  merely  thinner  lines,  and  these  were  often 

116 


GERMAN  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


REFORMATION   DER    BAYRISCHEN    LANDRECHT. 

117 


(MUNICH,  1518.) 


FUCHSIUS. 

attained  at  the  cost  of  richness  and  vigour,  as  well 
as  decorative  effect. 

The  first  book  illustrated  with  copper-plate 
engravings,  however,  bears  an  early  date — 1477.. 
["  El  Monte  Sanctodi  Dio."  Niccolo  di  Lorenzo, 
Florence].  In  this  case  it  was  reserved  for  the  full 
page  pictures.  The  method  does  not  seem  to 
have  commended  itself  much  to  the  book  de- 
signers, and  did  not  come  into  general  use  until 
the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  with  the  decline 
of  design. 

The  encyclopaedic  books  of- this  period — the 
curious  compendiums  of  the  knowledge  of  those 
days  —  were  full  of  entertaining  woodcuts,  dia- 
grams, and  devices,  and  the  various  treatises  on 
grammar,  arithmetic,  geometry,  physiology,  ana- 
tomy, astronomy,  geography,  were  made  attractive 
by  them,  each  section  preceded  perhaps  by  an 
allegorical  figure  of  the  art  or  science  discoursed  of 
in  the  costume  of  a  grand  dame  of  the  period.  The 
herbals  and  treatises  on  animals  were  often  filled 
with  fine  floral  designs  and  vigorous,  if  some- 
times half-mythical,  representations  of  animals. 

There  are  fine  examples  of  plant  drawing  in  a 
beautiful  herbal  ("  Fuchsius  :  De  Historia  Stir- 
pium";  Basle,  Isingrin,  1542).  They  are  not  only 
faithful  and  characteristic  as  drawings  of  the  plants 
themselves,  but  are  beautiful  as  decorative  de- 
signs, being  drawn  in  a  fine  free  style,  and  with  a 
delicate  sense  of  line,  and  well  thrown  upon  the 
page.  At  the  beginning  of  the  book  is  a  woodcut 
portrait  of  the  author,  Leonard  Fusch — possibly 
the  fuschia  may  have  been  named  after  him — and  at 
the  end  is  another  woodcut  giving  the  portrait  of 

119 


HERBALS. 

the  artist,  the  designer  of  the  flowers,  and  the 
draughtsman  on  wood  and  the  formschneider,  or 
engraver  on  wood,  beneath,  who  appears  to  be 
fully  conscious  of  his  own  importance.  The 
first  two  are  busy  at  work,  and  it  will  be  noticed 
the  artist  is  drawing  from  the  flower  itself  with 
the  point  of  a  brush,  the  brush  being  fixed  in  a 
quill  in  the  manner  of  our  water-colour  brushes. 
The  draughtsman  holds  the  design  or  paper  while 
he  copies  it  upon  the  block.  The  portraits  are 
vigorously  drawn  in  a  style  suggestive  of  Hans 
Burgmair.  Good  examples  of  plant  drawing 
which  is  united  with  design  are  also  to  be  found 
in  Matthiolus  (Venice,  1583),  and  in  a  Kreuterbuch 
(Strasburg,  1551),  and  in  Gerard's  Herbal,  of  which 
there  are  several  editions. 

As  examples  of  design  in  animals,  there  are 
some  vigorous  woodcuts  in  a  "  History  of  Quad- 
rupeds," by  Conrad  Gesner,  printed  by  Froschover, 
of  Zurich,  in  1554.  The  porcupine  is  as  like  a 
porcupine  as  need  be,  and  there  can  be  no  mistake 
about  his  quills.  The  drawings  of  birds  are 
excellent,  and  one  of  a  crane  (as  I  ought,  perhaps, 
more  particularly  to  know)  is  very  characteristic. 

But  we  have  passed  the  Rubicon — the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  Ripening  so  rapidly,  and 
blossoming  into  such  excellence  and  perfection  as 
did  the  art  of  the  printer,  and  design  as  applied  to 
the  printed  page,  through  the  woodcut  and  the 
press,  their  artistic  character  and  beauty  was 
somewhat  short-lived.  Up  to  about  this  date 
(i  554  was  the  date  of  our  last  example),  as  we  have 
seen,  to  judge  only  from  the  comparatively  few 
specimens  given  here,  what  beautiful  books  were 

1 20 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


^^t^Uj^^^g^ff—f-wravA 

mbro 


fcffo*  fccuotiflimtis  ozdirae  i£remiranim 
fancri  Sugufhnu^rionumlaanarum:* 
graecarumirerpzee  perfpicadffimus:onu 
nmmqsQoznucqpiae  vocabulozum  tfcr 
to:  fagadflimus:  ita:  vt  in  vnum  coeaerrt 
volumen  H  onium  €DarceIlum:H  eitum 
•^ompeiurmfli  arcum  "ElarronemiB  ^ 
mfep  onatumiU;  alleiifenwT 
'plurinuim  ar^Tuo  funauu 
rtft&pakftro. 


CALEPINVS   AD 

Mo*  eff  putiduf  >?  nouw  Kpernv.,       K«Uw 
I  ngcn  t  materia  rt  qucat  Tidoi, 
Prfdan»'q,  Ub«,boniv'q  toitu, 
'     ^nomimrprobaii. 


obi^ 


r.M«^tJJ 


Qbfcnri'q  vin,  radu'q,  vatu, 


Htf  dcmpui  Ubo  exeu  apma 
in  vnlj«  /ade.^oorc  nnlfo, 
£t  gratif  giteiav ,  ?  latinu . 
Nam  ( oedaf )  alh  rrwgu,g  ipfr, 
Qufren  t  amilinm ,  peat ab  ilfa 
ScdM f  tu» oltt.proba.lcgijq;. 
IACOBVS    FELIC1AN/S   RECAZOiA, 

STVDTOSIS. 

HorHd!  Pawafj  fcopub  ioga  quirqoi>  adirr . 

Quiiqui:  ?  Aotiidnm  florida  ran  rapit. 

Wn|injm  cupic'if  conccffuf  muncrt  Dioom 

£7  Calcpinqf  aJeff.bocdnce  cupc  viam. 


(TOSCULANO,  ALEX.  PAGAN  INI,  1520.) 

(Comp.  Duress  title  page,  Nuremberg,  1523.) 
121 


GERMAN  SCHOOL.  XVIxn  CENTURY. 

PICTORES     OPERIS, 


"FUCHSIUS:  DE  HISTORIA  STIRPIUM."  (BASLE,  ISINGRIN,  1542.) 


THE  NEW  SPIRIT. 

printed,  remarkable  both  for  their  decorative  and 
illustrative  value,  and  often  uniting  these  two 
functions  in  perfect  harmony ;  but  after  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century  both  vigour  and  beauty 
in  design  generally  may  be  said  to  have  declined. 
Whether  the  world  had  begun  to  be  interested  in 
other  things — and  we  know  the  great  discovery  of 
Columbus  had  made  it  practically  larger — whether 
discovery,  conquest,  and  commerce  more  and  more 
filled  the  view  of  foremost  spirits,  and  art  was  only 
valued  as  it  illustrated  or  contributed  to  the  know- 
ledge of  or  furtherance  of  these ;  whether  the 
Reformation  or  the  spirit  of  Protestantism,  turning 
men's  minds  from  outward  to  inward  things,  and 
in  its  revolt  against  the  half  paganized  Catholic 
Church — involving  a  certain  ascetic  scorn  and 
contempt  for  any  form  of  art  which  did  not  serve 
a  direct  moral  purpose,  and  which  appealed  to  the 
senses  rather  than  to  the  emotions  or  the  intellect 
— practically  discouraged  it  altogether.  Whether 
that  new  impulse  given  to  the  imagination  by  the 
influence  of  the  revival  of  Classical  learning,  poetry, 
and  antique  art,  had  become  jaded,  and,  while 
breaking  with  the  traditions  and  spirit  of  Gothic  or 
Mediaeval  art,  began  to  put  on  the  fetters  of 
authority  and  pedantry,  and  so,  gradually  overlaid 
by  the  forms  and  cerements  of  a  dead  style,  lost 
its  vigour  and  vitality — whether  due  to  one  or 
all  of  these  causes,  certain  it  is  that  the  lamp  of 
design  began  to  fail,  and,  compared  with  its  earlier 
radiance,  shed  but  a  doubtful  flicker  upon  the  page 
through  the  succeeding  centuries. 


124 


CHAPTER  III.  OF  THE  PERIOD  OF 
THE  DECLINE  OF  DECORATIVE 
FEELING  IN  BOOK  DESIGN  AFTER 
THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY,  AND 
OF  THE  MODERN  REVIVAL. 

IS  I  indicated  at  the  outset  of  the 
first  chapter,  my  purpose  is  not  to 
give  a  complete  historical  account 
of  the  decoration  and  illustration 
of  books,  but  rather  to  dwell  on  the 
artistic  treatment  of  the  page  from 
my  own  point  of  view  as  a  designer.  So  far,  how- 
ever, the  illustrations  I  have  given,  while  serving 
their  purpose,  also  furnished  a  fair  idea  of  the 
development  of  style  and  variation  of  treatment  of 
both  the  MS.  and  printed  book  under  different 
influences,  from  the  sixth  to  the  close  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  but  now  I  shall  have  to  put  on  a 
pair  of  seven-league  boots,  and  make  some 
tremendous  skips. 

We  have  seen  how,  at  the  period  of  the  early 
Renaissance,  two  streams  met,  as  it  were,  and 
mingled,  with  very  beautiful  results.  The  freedom, 
the  romance,  the  naturalism  of  the  later  Gothic, 
with  the  newly  awakened  Classical  feeling,  with  its 
grace  of  line  and  mythological  lore.  The  rich  and 
delicate  arabesques  in  which  Italian  designers 
delighted,  and  which  so  frequently  decorated,  as 
we  have  seen,  the  borders  of  the  early  printer,  owe 
also  something  to  Oriental  influence,  as  indeed 
their  name  indicates.  The  decorative  beauty  of 
these  early  Renaissance  books  were  really, 
therefore,  the  outcome  of  a  very  remarkable  fusion 
of  ideas  and  styles.  Printing,  as  an  art,  and  book 

125 


THE  CLASSICAL  INFLUENCE, 
decoration  attained  a  perfection  it  has  not  since 
reached.  The  genius  of  the  greatest  designers  of 
the  time  was  associated  with  the  new  invention, 
and  expressed  itself  with  unparalleled  vigour  in 
the  woodcut ;  while  the  type-founder,  being  still 
under  the  influence  of  a  fine  traditional  style  in 
handwriting,  was  in  perfect  harmony  with  the 
book  decorator  or  illustrator.  Even  geometric 
diagrams  were  given  without  destroying  the  unity 
of  the  page,  as  may  be  seen  in  early  editions  of 
Euclid,  and  we  have  seen  what  faithful  and 
characteristic  work  was  done  in  illustrations  of 
plants  and  animals,  without  loss  of  designing  power 
and  ornamental  sense. 

This  happy  equilibrium  of  artistic  quality  and 
practical  adaptation  after  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century  began  to  decline.  There  were  designers, 
like  Oronce  Fine*  and  Geoffroy  Tory,  at  Paris, 
who  did  much  to  preserve  the  traditions  in  book 
ornament  of  the  early  Italian  printers,  while  adding 
a  touch  of  grace  and  fancy  of  their  own,  but  for 
the  most  part  the  taste  of  book  designers  ran  to 
seed  after  this  period.  The  classical  influence, 
which  had  been  only  felt  as  one  among  other 
influences,  became  more  and  more  paramount  over 
the  designer,  triumphing  over  the  naturalistic 
feeling,  and  over  the  Gothic  and  Eastern  orna- 
mental feeling;  so  that  it  might  be  said  that, 
whereas  Mediaeval  designers  sought  after  colour 
and  decorative  beauty,  Renaissance  designers 
were  influenced  by  considerations  of  line,  form, 
and  relief.  This  may  have  been  due  in  a  great 
measure  to  the  fact  that  the  influence  of  the  antique 
and  Classical  art  was  a  sculpturesque  influence, 

126 


FRENCH  SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY. 


ORONTII 


FINE!  DELPHINATIS.RE- 

cn  MATHEMATICARVM 

PROFESSORIS: 


CIV  AD  RA  NS 

A  STRO  LAB  ICVS, OMNI- 
bus  Europe regionibus  in feruies: 
Ex  recent!  &  emedara  ipfius  Au 
thoris  recognitionc  in  ampliore, 
ac  longe  fidcliorem  rcda^lus  dc£ 
fcripuoncra. 


P  A  R  I S 1 1 S. 

Apud  Simonem  Colirucum. 


DESIGNED    BY   ORONCE    FINE.        (PARIS,  SIMON   DE   COLINES,   1534.) 

(Comp.  Diirer* s  title  to  Plutarch,  1513,  and  St.  Ambrosius^  1520.) 

127 


THE  RENAISSANCE. 

mainly  gathered  from  statues  and  relievos,  gems 
and  medals,  and  architectural  carved  ornaments, 
and  more  through  Roman  than  Greek  sources. 
While  suggestions  from  such  sources  were  but 
sparingly  introduced  at  first,  they  gradually  seemed 
to  outweigh  all  other  motives  with  the  later  de- 
signers, whose  works  often  suggest  that  it  is 
impossible  to  have  too  much  Roman  costume  or 
too  many  Roman  remains,  which  crowd  their  Bible 
subjects,  and  fill  their  borders  with  overfed  pedi- 
ments, corpulent  scrolls,  and  volutes,  and  their 
interstices  with  scattered  fragments  and  attitudi- 
nizing personifications  of  Classical  mythology. 
The  lavish  use  of  such  materials  were  enough  to 
overweight  even  vigorous  designers  like  Virgil 
Solis,  who  though  able,  facile,  and  versatile  as  he 
was,  seems  but  a  poor  substitute  for  Holbein. 

What  was  at  first  an  inspiriting,  imaginative, 
and  refining  influence  in  art  became  finally  a 
destructive  force.  The  youthful  spirit  of  the  early 
Renaissance  became  clouded  and  oppressed,  and 
finally  crushed  with  a  weight  of  pompous  pedantry 
and  affectation.  The  natural  development  of  a 
living  style  in  art  became  arrested,  and  authority, 
and  an  endeavour  to  imitate  the  antique,  took  its 
place. 

The  introduction  of  the  copper-plate  marked  a 
new  epoch  in  book  illustration,  and  wood-engrav- 
ing declined  with  its  increased  adoption,  which,  in 
the  form  it  took,  as  applied  to  books,  in  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries,  was  certainly  to 
the  detriment  and  final  extinction  of  the  decorative 
side. 

It  has  already  been  pointed  out  how  a  copper- 
129  K 


COPPER-PLATE. 

plate,  requiring  a  different  process  of  printing,  and 
exhibiting  as  a  necessary  consequence  such  differ- 
ent qualities  of  line  and  effect,  cannot  harmonize 
with  type  and  the  conditions  of  the  surface-printed 
page,  since  it  is  not  in  any  mechanical  relation 
with  them.  This  mechanical  relation  is  really  the 
key  to  all  good  and  therefore  organic  design ;  and 
therefore  it  is  that  design  was  in  sounder  condition 
when  mechanical  conditions  and  relations  were 
simpler.  A  new  invention  often  has  a  dislocating 
effect  upon  design.  A  new  element  is  introduced, 
valued  for  some  particular  facility  or  effect,  and  it 
is  often  adopted  without  considering  how — like  a 
new  element  in  a  chemical  combination — it  alters 
the  relations  all  round. 

Copper- plate  engraving  was  presumably  adopted 
as  a  method  for  book-illustration  for  its  greater 
fineness  and  precision  of  line,  and  its  greater  com- 
mand of  complexity  in  detail  and  chiaroscuro,  for 
its  purely  pictorial  qualities,  in  short,  and  its  adop- 
tion corresponded  to  the  period  of  the  ascendancy 
of  the  painter  above  other  kind  of  artists. 

As  regards  the  books  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
while  "  of  making  many  books  there  was  no  end," 
and  however  interesting  for  other  than  artistic 
reasons,  but  few  would  concern  our  immediate 
purpose.  Wood-cuts,  headings,  initials,  tail-pieces, 
and  printers'  ornaments  continued  to  be  used,  but 
greatly  inferior  in  design  and  beauty  of  effect  to 
those  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  copper-plates 
introduced  are  quite  apart  from  the  page  orna- 
ments, and  can  hardly  be  considered  decorative, 
although  in  the  pompous  title-pages  of  books  of 
this  period  they  are  frequently  formal  and  archi- 

130 


I 

w 
u 

a 

h 


I 


MD 
10 


c/T 
g 

i 


VENETIAN  SCHOOL. 


LATE  XVITH  CENTURY. 


ARTIST   UNKNOWN. 


(VENICE,  G.  GIOLITO,  1562.) 


133 


HOGARTH. 

tectural  enough,  and,  as  a  rule,  founded  more 
or  less  upon  the  ancient  arches  of  triumph  of 
Imperial  Rome. 

Histories  and  philosophical  works,  especially 
towards  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  and  beginning 
of  the  eighteenth  centuries,  were  embellished  with 
pompous  portraits  in  frames  of  more  or  less  clas- 
sical joinery,  with  shields  of  arms,  the  worse  for 
the  decorative  decline  of  heraldry,  underneath. 
The  specimen  given  is  a  good  one  of  its  type 
from  a  Venetian  book  of  1562,  and  gives  the 
earlier  form  of  this  kind  of  treatment.  Travels 
and  topographical  works  increased,  until  by  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  we  have  them 
on  the  scale  of  Piranesi's  scenic  views  of  the 
architecture  of  ancient  Rome. 

The  love  of  picturesqueness  and  natural  scenery, 
or,  perhaps,  landscape  gardening,  gradually  deve- 
loping, concentrated  interest  on  qualities  the  anti- 
thesis of  constructive  and  inventive  design,  and 
drew  the  attention  more  and  more  away  from  them, 
until  the  painter,  pure  and  simple,  took  all  the 
artistic  honours,  and  the  days  of  the  foundation  of 
academies  only  confirmed  and  fixed  the  idea  of  art 
in  this  restricted  sense  in  the  public  mind. 

Hogarth,  who  availed  himself  of  the  copper-plate 
and  publication  in  book  form  of  his  pictures,  was 
yet  wholly  pictorial  in  his  sympathies,  and  his  in- 
stincts were  dramatic  and  satiric  rather  than  deco- 
rative. Able  painter  and  designer  as  he  was  in 
his  own  way,  the  interest  of  his  work  is  entirely  on 
that  side,  and  is  rather  valuable  as  illustrating  the 
life  and  manners  of  his  time  than  as  furnishing 
examples  of  book  illustration,  and  his  work  cer- 

135 


STOTHARD, 

tainly  has  no  decorative  aim,  although  no  doubt 

quite  harmonious  in  an  eighteenth  century  room. 

Chodowiecki,  who  did  a  vast  quantity  of  steel 
frontispieces  and  illustrations  for  books  on  a  small 
scale,  with  plenty  of  character,  must  also  be  re- 
garded rather  as  a  maker  of  pictures  for  books 
than  as  a  book  decorator.  He  is  sometimes 
mentioned  as  kindred  in  style  to  Stothard,  but 
Stothard  was  much  more  of  an  idealist,  and  had, 
too,  a  very  graceful  decorative  sense  from  the 
classical  point  of  view.  His  book  designs  are  very 
numerous,  chiefly  engraved  on  steel,  and  always 
showing  a  very  graceful  sense  of  line  and  com- 
position. His  designs  to  Rogers'  "  Poems/'  and 
"  Italy,"  are  well-known,  and,  in  their  earlier 
woodcut  form,  his  groups  of  Amorini  are  very 
charming. 

Flaxman  had  a  high  sense  of  sculpturesque  style 
and  simplicity,  and  great  feeling  and  grace  as  a 
designer,  but  he  can  hardly  be  reckoned  as  a  book 
decorator.  His  well-known  series  to  Homer, 
Hesiod,  ^schylus,  and  Dante  are  strictly  distinct 
series  of  illustrative  designs,  to  be  taken  by  them- 
selves without  reference  to  their  incorporation  in, 
or  relation  to,  a  printed  book.  Their  own  lettering 
and  explanatory  text  is  engraved  on  the  same  plate 
beneath  them,  and  so  far  they  are  consistent,  but 
are  not  in  any  sense  examples  of  page  treatment 
or  spacing. 

We  now  come  to  a  designer  of  a  very  different 
type,  a  type,  too,  of  a  new  epoch,  whatever  resem- 
blance in  style  and  method  there  may  be  in  his 
work  to  that  of  his  contemporaries.  William  Blake 
is  distinct,  and  stands  alone.  A  poet  and  a  seer, 

136 


XIXxH  CENTURY. 


WILLIAM  BLAKE. 


f  Jweet  ^dreams  form  a  »$haole  '\t. 
O'er  my  lovely  infsurts  fieacl  ,^J 
'.Sweet    ream*  of  pieausartt^ti 
rvoorvyri)  earns 

. .,i 

leepwith^ottaown..    ^— 

^irqw^  an  u^fant  crcrwtv 

iweet'^ec,  __0 , 

[over  o'er-  my.TxatJbr  cKiU  J 


in 
»r  aver  my  < 


r^nolc^ 

ie^uile^.^ 


|  jSwf  et  moans  jSY/eeter  >snn3es » ' 

^f^^^^Jrp? 

Wf  ^leeplup^duh 
11  creation  «ettt  and  5rnud « 
.Sleep  s1ee^t)\aij^7/^Ieep) 
\ee^7  motKei 

set  bake  Intl^face . 
p  tma^e  I  cam  trace"^ 
•et  tibe  cmecliliB  tk 
tfld^vejjtffl 


"SONGS  OF  INNOCENCE,"  1789. 

137 


WILLIAM   BLAKE. 

as  well  as  a  designer,  in  him  seemed  to  awake 
something  of  the  spirit  of  the  old  illuminator.  He 
was  not  content  to  illustrate  a  book  by  isolated 
copper  or  steel  plates  apart  from  the  text,  although 
in  his  craft  as  engraver  he  constantly  carried  out 
the  work  of  others.  When  he  came  to  embody  his 
own  thoughts  and  dreams,  he  recurred  quite  spon- 
taneously to  the  methods  of  the  maker  of  the  MS. 
books.  He  became  his  own  caligrapher,  illumi- 
nator and  miniaturist,  while  availing  himself  of  the 
copper-plate  (which  he  turned  into  a  surface  print- 
ing block)  and  the  printing  press  for  the  reproduc- 
tion of  his  designs,  and  in  some  cases  for  producing 
them  in  tints.  His  hand-coloured  drawings,  the 
borderings  and  devices  to  his  own  poems,  will 
always  be  things  by  themselves. 

His  treatment  of  the  resources  of  black  and 
white,  and  sense  of  page  decoration,  may  be  best 
judged  perhaps  by  a  reference  to  his  "  Book  of 
Job,"  which  contains  a  fine  series  of  suggestive  and 
imaginative  designs.  We  seem  to  read  in  Blake 
something  of  the  spirit  of  the  Mediaeval  designers, 
through  the  sometimes  mannered  and  semi-classic 
forms  and  treatment,  according  to  the  taste  of  his 
time  ;  while  he  embodies  its  more  daring  aspiring 
thoughts,  and  the  desire  for  simpler  and  more  hu- 
mane conditions  of  life.  A  revolutionary  fire  and 
fervour  constantly  breaks  out  both  in  his  verse  and 
in  his  designs,  which  show  very  various  moods  and 
impulses,  and  comprehend  a  wide  range  of  power 
and  sympathy.  Sometimes  mystic  and  prophetic, 
sometimes  tragic,  sometimes  simple  and  pastoral. 

Blake,  in  these  mixed  elements,  and  the  extra- 
ordinary suggestiveness  of  his  work  and  the  free- 

138 


EDWARD   CALVERT. 

dom  of  his  thought,  seems  nearer  to  us  than  others 
of  his  contemporaries.  In  his  sense  of  the  deco- 
rative treatment  of  the  page,  too,  his  work  bears 
upon  our  purpose.  In  writing  with  his  own  hand 
and  in  his  own  character  the  text  of  his  poems,  he 
gained  the  great  advantage  which  has  been  spoken 
of — of  harmony  between  text  and  illustration.  They 
become  a  harmonious  whole,  in  complete  relation. 
His  woodcuts  to  Phillip's  "  Pastoral,"  though  per- 

WILLIAM   BLAKE. 


haps  rough  in  themselves,  show  what  a  sense  of 
colour  he  could  convey,  and  of  the  effective  use  of 
white  line. 

Among  the  later  friends  and  disciples  of  Blake, 
a  kindred  spirit  must  have  been  Edward  Calvert, 
whose  book  illustrations  are  also  decorations ;  the 
masses  of  black  and  white  being  effectively  dis- 
tributed, and  they  are  full  of  poetic  feeling,  imagi- 
nation, and  sense  of  colour.  I  am  indebted  for 
the  first  knowledge  of  them  to  Mr.  William  Blake 
Richmond,  whose  father,  Mr.  George  Richmond, 
was  a  friend  of  William  Blake  and  Calvert,  as  well 
as  of  John  Linnell  and  of  Samuel  Palmer,  who 

139 


THOMAS   BEWICK. 

carried  on  the  traditions  of  this  English  poetic 
school  to  our  own  times ;  especially  the  latter, 
whose  imaginative  drawings  —  glowing  sunsets 
over  remote  hill-tops,  romantic  landscapes,  and 
pastoral  sentiment — were  marked  features  in  the 
room  of  the  Old  Water  Colour  Society,  up  to  his 
death  in  1881.  His  etched  illustrations  to  his 
edition  of  "  The  Eclogues  of  Virgil,"  are  a  fine 
series  of  beautifully  designed  and  poetically  con- 
ceived landscapes  ;  but  they  are  strictly  a  series  of 
pictures  printed  separately  from  the  text.  Palmer 
himself,  in  the  account  of  the  work  given  by  his 
son,  when  he  was  planning  the  work,  wished  that 
William  Blake  had  been  alive  to  have  designed 
his  woodcut  headings  to  the  "  Eclogues."1 

To  Thomas  Bewick  and  his  school  is  due  the 
revival  of  wood-engraving  as  an  art,  and  its 
adaptation  to  book  illustration,  quite  distinct,  of 
course,  from  the  old  knife-work  on  the  plank. 
Bewick  had  none  of  the  imaginative  poetry  of  the 
designers  just  named,  although  plenty  of  humour 
and  satire,  which  he  compressed  into  his  little  tail- 
pieces. He  shows  his  skill  as  a  craftsman  in  the 
treatment  of  the  wood  block,  in  such  works  as  his 
" British  Birds;"  but  here,  although  the  wood- 
engraving  and  type  may  be  said  to  be  in  mechanical 
relation,  there  is  no  sense  of  decorative  beauty  or 
ornamental  spacing  whatever,  and,  as  drawings, 
the  engravings  have  none  of  the  designer's  power 

1  A  memoir  of  Edward  Calvert  has  since  been  published  by 
his  son,  fully  illustrated,  and  giving  the  little  engravings  just 
spoken  of.  They  were  engraved  by  Calvert  himself,  it  appears, 
and  I  am  indebted  to  his  son,  Mr.  John  Calvert,  for  permission 
to  print  them  here. 

140 


XIXxH  CENTURY. 


EDWARD  CALVERT. 


FROM  THE  ORIGINAL  BLOCKS  DESIGNED  AND  ENGRAVED 
ON  WOOD  BY  EDWARD  CALVERT.       BRIXTON,   1827-8-9. 


XIXTH  CENTURY. 


EDWARD   CALVERT. 


THE 

LADY 

AND 

THE 

ROOKS. 


IDEAL 
PAST- 
ORAL 
LIFE. 


FROM    THE    BLOCKS    DESIGNED    AND    ENGRAVED    ON    WOOD    BY 
EDWARD   CALVERT.    I  BRIXTON,    1827-8-9 


THE   SCHOOL  OF   BEWICK, 

such  as  we  found  in  the  illustrations  of  Gesner 
and  Matthiolus  at  Basle,  in  the  middle  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  There  is  a  very  literal  and  plain 
presentment  of  facts  as  regards  the  bird  and  its 
plumage,  but  with  scarcely  more  than  the  taste  of 
the  average  stuffer  and  mounter  in  the  composi- 
tion of  the  picture,  and  no  regard  whatever  to  the 
design  of  the  page  as  a  whole. 

It  was,  however,  a  great  point  to  have  asserted 
the  claims  of  wood-engraving,  and  demonstrated 
its  capabilities  as  a  method  of  book  illustration. 

Bewick  founded  a  school  of  very  excellent  crafts- 
men, who  carried  the  art  to  a  wonderful  degree  of 
finish.  In  both  his  and  their  hands  it  became 
quite  distinct  from  literal  translation  of  the  draw- 
ing, which,  unless  in  line,  was  treated  by  the 
engraver  with  a  line,  touch,  and  quality  all  his 
own,  the  use  of  white  line,1  and  the  rendering  of 
tone  and  tint  necessitating  a  certain  power  of  de- 
sign on  his  part,  and  giving  him  as  important  a 
position  as  the  engraver  on  steel  held  in  regard  to 
the  translation  of  a  painted  picture. 

Such  a  book  as  Northcote's  "  Fables,"  published 
1828-29,  each  fable  having  a  head-piece  drawn  on 
wood  from  Northcote's  design  by  William  Harvey 
— a  well-known  graceful  designer  and  copious 
illustrator  of  books  up  to  comparatively  recent 
times — and  with  initial  letters  and  tail-pieces  of 
his  own,  shows  the  outcome  of  the  Bewick  school. 
Finally  "  fineness  of  line,  tone,  and  finish — a  mis- 

1  A  striking  instance  of  the  use  of  white  line  is  seen  in  the 
title  page  "  Pomerium  de  Tempore,"  printed  by  Johann  Otmar, 
Augsburg,  as  early  as  1502.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  this 
is  a  metal  engraving.  It  is  given  overleaf. 

145  L 


STOTHARD   AND   TURNER. 

used  word,"  as  Mr.  W.  J.  Linton  says,  "  was 
preferred  to  the  simple  charm  of  truth."  The 
wood  engravers  appeared  to  be  anxious  to  vie 
with  the  steel  engravers  in  the  adornment  of 
books,  and  so  far  as  adaptation  was  concerned, 
they  had  certainly  all  the  advantage  on  their  side. 
The  ornamental  sense,  however,  had  everywhere 
declined ;  pictorial  qualities,  fineness  of  line,  and 
delicacy  of  tone,  were  sought  after  almost  ex- 
clusively. 

Such  books  as  Rogers's  "Poems"  and  "Italy," 
with  vignettes  on  steel  from  Thomas  Stothard  and 
J.  M.  W.  Turner,  are  characteristic  of  the  taste  of 
the  period,  and  show  about  the  high-water  mark 
of  the  skill  of  the  book  engravers  on  steel. 
Stothard's  designs  are  the  only  ones  which  have 
claims  to  be  decorative,  and  he  is  always  a  grace- 
ful designer.  Turner's  landscapes,  exquisite  in 
themselves,  and  engraved  with  marvellous  deli- 
cacy, do  not  in  any  sense  decorate  the  page,  and 
from  that  point  of  view  are  merely  shapeless  blots 
of  printers'  ink  of  different  tones  upon  it,  while 
the  letterpress  bears  no  relation  whatever  to  the 
picture  in  method  of  printing  or  design,  and  has 
no  independent  beauty  of  its  own.  Book  illustra- 
tions of  this  type — and  it  was  a  type  which  largely 
prevailed  during  the  second  quarter  of  the  century 
— are  simply  pictures  without  frames. 

No  survey  of  book  illustration  would  be  com- 
plete which  contained  no  mention  of  William 
James  Linton — whom  I  have  already  quoted.  I 
may  be  allowed  to  speak  of  him  with  a  peculiar 
regard  and  respect,  as  I  may  claim  him  as  a  very 
kind  early  friend  and  master.  As  a  boy  I  was,  in 

146 


GERMAN   SCHOOL. 


XVlTH  CENTURY 


fratrisi&dbarn  o:cjinfe 
fanctiirancifd 


JOHANN    OTMAR. 


147 


(AUGSBURG,  1502.) 


W.  J.  LINTON. 

fact,  apprenticed  to  him  for  the  space  of  three 
years,  not  indeed  with  the  object  of  wielding  the 
graver,  but  rather  with  that  of  learning  the  craft 
of  a  draughtsman  on  wood.  This,  of  course,  was 
before  the  days  of  the  use  of  photography,  which 
has  since  practically  revolutionized  the  system  not 
only  of  drawing  for  books  but  of  engraving  also. 
It  was  then  necessary  to  draw  on  the  block  itself, 
and  to  thoroughly  understand  what  kind  of  work 
could  be  treated  by  the  engraver. 

I  shall  always  regard  those  early  years  in  Mr. 
Linton's  office  as  of  great  value  to  me,  as,  despite 
changes  of  method  and  new  inventions,  it  gave  me 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  mechanical  condi- 
tions of  wood- engraving  at  any  rate,  and  has  im- 
planted a  sense  of  necessary  relationship  between 
design,  material,  and  method  of  production — of 
art  and  craft,  in  fact — which  cannot  be  lost,  and 
has  had  its  effect  in  many  ways. 

Mr.  Linton,  too,  is  himself  a  notable  historic 
link,  carrying  on  the  lamp  of  the  older  traditions 
of  wood-engraving  to  these  degenerate  days,  when 
whatever  wonders  of  literal  translation,  and  imita- 
tion of  chalk,  charcoal,  or  palette  and  brushes,  it 
has  exhibited  under  spell  of  American  enterprise — 
and  I  am  far  from  denying  its  achievements  as 
such — it  cannot  be  said  to  have  preserved  the  dis- 
tinction and  independence  of  the  engraver  as  an 
artist  or  original  designer  in  any  sense.  When 
not  extinguished  altogether  by  some  form  of  auto- 
matic reproductive  process,  he  is  reduced  to  the 
office  of  "  process-server  " — he  becomes  the  slave 
of  the  pictorial  artist.  The  picturesque  sketcher 
loves  his  "bits"  and  " effects,"  which,  moreover, 

148 


W.  J.  LINTON. 

however  sensational  and  sparkling  they  may  be  in 
themselves,  have  no  reference  as  a  rule  to  the 
decoration  of  the  page,  being  in  this  sense  no  more 
than  more  or  less  adroit  splashes  of  ink  upon  it, 
which  the  text,  torn  into  an  irregularly  ragged 
edge,  seems  instinctively  to  shrink  from  touching, 
squeezing  itself  together  like  the  passengers  in  a 
crowded  omnibus  might  do,  reluctantly  to  admit  a 
chimney-sweep. 

While,  by  his  early  training  and  practice,  he 
is  united  with  the  Bewick  school,  Mr.  Linton — 
himself  a  poet,  a  social  and  political  thinker,  a 
scholar,  as  well  as  designer  and  engraver — having 
been  associated  with  the  best-known  engravers 
and  designers  for  books  during  the  middle  of  the 
century,  and  having  had  art  of  such  a  different 
temper  and  tendency  as  that  of  Rossetti  pass 
through  his  hands,  and  seen  the  effect  of  many 
new  impulses,  is  finally  face  to  face  with  what  he 
himself  has  called  the  "American  New  Depar- 
ture." He  is  therefore  peculiarly  and  eminently 
qualified  for  the  work  to  which  he  has  addressed 
himself — his  great  work  on  "The  Masters  of 
Wood  Engraving,"  which  appeared  in  1889,  and 
is  in  every  way  complete  as  a  history,  learned  in 
technique,  and  sumptuous  as  a  book. 

I  have  not  mentioned  Gustave  Dore",  who  fills 
so  large  a  space  as  an  illustrator  of  books,  because 
though  possessed  of  a  weird  imagination,  and  a 
poetic  feeling  for  dramatic  landscapes  and  gro- 
tesque characters,  as  well  as  extraordinary  pictorial 
invention,  the  mass  of  his  work  is  purely  scenic, 
and  he  never  shows  the  decorative  sense,  or  con- 
siders the  design  in  relation  to  the  page.  His 

149 


THE  PRE-RAPHAELITES. 

best  and  most  spirited  and  sincere  work  is  repre- 
sented by  his  designs  in  the  "  Contes  Drolatiquesc" 

The  new  movement  in  painting  in  England, 
known  as  the  pre-Raphaelite  movement,  which 
dates  from  about  the  middle  years  of  our  century, 
was  in  every  way  so  remarkable  and  far-reaching, 
that  it  is  not  surprising  that  it  should  leave  its 
mark  upon  the  illustrations  of  books ;  particularly 
upon  that  form  of  luxury  known  as  the  modern 
gift-book,  which,  in  the  course  of  the  twenty  years 
following  1850,  often  took  the  shape  of  selections 
from  or  editions  of  the  poets  plentifully  sprinkled 
with  little  pictorial  vignettes  engraved  on  wood. 
Birket  Foster,  John  Gilbert,  and  John  Tenniel 
were  leading  contributors  to  these  collections. 

In  1857  appeared  an  edition  of  "  Tennyson's 
Poems"  from  the  house  of  Moxon.  This  work, 
while  having  the  general  characteristics  of  the  pre- 
vailing taste — an  accidental  collection  of  designs, 
the  work  of  designers  of  varying  degrees  of  sub- 
stance, temper,  and  feeling,  casually  arranged,  and 
without  the  slightest  feeling  for  page  decoration 
or  harmony  of  text  and  illustration — yet  possessed 
one  remarkable  feature  which  gives  it  a  distinction 
among  other  collections,  in  that  it  contains  certain 
designs  of  the  chief  leaders  of  the  pre-Raphaelite 
movement,  D.  G.  Rossetti,  Millais  and  Holman 
Hunt. 

I  give  one  of  the  Rossetti  designs,  "  Sir  Gala- 
had "  ;  the  "  S.  Cecilia  "  and  the  "  Morte  d'Arthur  " 
were  engraved  by  the  Brothers  Dalziel,  the  "  Sir 
Galahad "  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Linton.  It  seems  to 
me  that  the  last  gives  the  spirit  and  feeling  of 
Rossetti,  as  well  as  his  peculiar  touch,  far  more 

150 


DANTE   GABRIEL  ROSSETTI. 


FROM  TENNYSON'S  POEMS. 


(MOXON,  1857.) 


DALZIEL'S  BIBLE  GALLERY, 
successfully.     These  designs,  in  their  poetic  ima- 
gination, their  richness  of  detail,  sense  of  colour, 
passionate,    mystic,    and    romantic    feeling,    and 
earnestness   of  expression    mark   a   new   epoch. 
They  are  decorative  in  themselves,  and,  though 
quite   distinct  in  feeling,  and   original,  they  are 
more  akin  to  the  work  of  the  Mediaeval  miniaturist 
than  anything  that  had  been  seen  since  his  days. 
Even  here,  however,  there  is  no  attempt  to  con- 
sider the  page  or  to  make  the  type  harmonize  with 
the  picture,  or  to  connect  it  by  any  bordering  or 
device  with  the  book  as  a  whole,  and  being  sand- 
wiched with  drawings  of  a  very  different  tendency, 
their  effect  is  much  spoiled.     In  one  or  two  other 
instances  where  Rossetti  lent  his  hand  to  book 
illustration,  however,  he  is  fully  mindful   of  the 
decorative  effect  of  the  page.     I  remember  a  title 
page  to  a  book  of  poems  by  Miss  Christina  Rossetti, 
"Goblin  Market,"  which  emphatically  showed  this. 
The  title-page   designed  for   his  "  Early   Italian 
Poets  "  (given  here),  and  his  sonnet  on  the  sonnet 
too,  in  which  the  design  encloses  the  text  of  the 
poem,  written  out  by  himself,  are  other  instances. 
Some  of  the   designs  made  for  a  later   work 
(Dalziel's  Bible  Gallery,  about  1865-70)  also  show 
the  effect  of  the  pre-Raphaelite  influence,  as  well 
as,  in   the  case  of  the  designs   of  Sir   Frederic 
Leighton  and  Mr.  Poynter,  the  influence  of  Con- 
tinental ideas  and  training.     I  saw  some  of  these 
drawings  on  the  wood  at  the  time,  I  remember. 
For  study  and  research,  and  richness  of  resource 
in  archaeological  detail,  as  well  as  firmness  of  draw- 
ing, I  thought  Mr.  Poynter's  designs  were  perhaps 
the  most  remarkable.   A  strikingly  realized  picture, 

152 


DANTE  GABRIEL  ROSSETTI. 


from  Cinllo  <EAloajn.o  te 


DESIGN    FOR   A   TITLE   PAGE. 


HENRY  HOLIDAY. 

and  a  bright  and  successful  wood-engraving,  is 
Ford  Madox  Brown's  design  of  "  Elijah  and  the 
Widow's  Son."  There  is  a  dramatic  intensity  of 
expression  about  his  other  one  also,  "  The  Death 
of  Eglon."  Still,  at  best,  we  find  that  these  are 
but  carefully  studied  pictures  rendered  on  the 
wood.  The  pre-Raphaelite  designs  show  the  most 
decorative  sense,  but  they  are  now  issued  quite 
distinct  from  the  page,  whatever  was  the  original 
intention,  and  while  they  may,  as  to  scale  and  treat- 
ment, be  justly  considered  as  book  illustrations,  and 
as  examples  of  our  more  important  efforts  in  that 
direction  at  that  time,  they  are  not  page  decorations. 

One  may  speak  here  of  an  admirable  artist  we 
have  lost,  Mr.  Albert  Moore,  who  so  distinguished 
himself  for  his  refined  decorative  sense  in  paint- 
ing, and  the  outline  group  of  figures  given  here 
shows  that  he  felt  the  conditions  of  the  book  page 
and  the  press  also. 

Mr.  Henry  Holiday  is  also  a  decorative  artist 
of  great  refinement  and  facility.  He  has  not  done 
very  much  in  book  illustration,  but  his  illustrations 
to  Lewis  Carroll's  "  Hunting  of  the  Snark"  were 
admirable.  His  decorative  feeling  in  black  and 
white,  however,  is  marked,  as  may  be  seen  in  the 
title  to  "Aglaia." 

As,  until  recently,  I  suppose  I  was  scarcely 
known  out  of  the  nursery,  it  is  meet  that  I  should 
offer  some  remarks  upon  children's  books.  Here, 
undoubtedly,  there  has  been  a  remarkable  de- 
velopment and  great  activity  of  late  years.  We 
all  remember  the  little  cuts  that  adorned  the  books 
of  our  childhood.  The  ineffaceable  quality  of 
these  early  pictorial  and  literary  impressions  afford 

154 


ALBERT   MOORE. 


FROM  MILTON'S  ODE  ON  CHRIST'S  NATIVITY.     (NISBET,  1867.) 


TOY  BOOKS. 

the  strongest  plea  for  good  art  in  the  nursery  and 
the  schoolroom.  Every  child,  one  might  say 
every  human  being,  takes  in  more  through  his 
eyes  than  his  ears,  and  I  think  much  more  advan- 
tage might  be  taken  of  this  fact. 

If  I  may  be  personal,  let  me  say  that  my  first 
efforts  in  children's  books  were  made  in  association 
with  Mr.  Edmund  Evans.  Here,  again,  I  was 
fortunate  to  be  in  association  with  the  craft  of 
colour-printing,  and  I  got  to  understand  its  possi- 
bilities. The  books  for  babies,  current  at  that 
time — about  1865  to  1870 — of  the  cheaper  sort 
called  toy  books  were  not  very  inspiriting.  These 
were  generally  careless  and  unimaginative  wood- 
cuts, very  casually  coloured  by  hand,  dabs  of  pink 
and  emerald  green  being  laid  on  across  faces  and 
frocks  with  a  somewhat  reckless  aim.  There  was 
practically  no  choice  between  such  as  these  and 
cheap  German  highly-coloured  lithographs.  The 
only  attempt  at  decoration  I  remember  was  a  set 
of  coloured  designs  to  nursery  rhymes  by  Mr.  H. 
S.  Marks,  which  had  been  originally  intended  for 
cabinet  panels.  Bold  outlines  and  flat  tints  were 
used.  Mr.  Marks  has  often  shown  his  decorative 
sense  in  book  illustration  and  printed  designs  in 
colour,  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  for 
this  book. 

It  was,  however,  the  influence  of  some  Japanese 
printed  pictures  given  to  me  by  a  lieutenant  in  the 
navy,  who  had  brought  them  home  from  there  as 
curiosities,  which  I  believe,  though  I  drew  inspi- 
ration from  many  sources,  gave  the  real  impulse 
to  that  treatment  in  strong  outlines,  and  flat  tints 
and  solid  blacks,  which  I  adopted  with  variations 

156 


HENRY  HOLIDAY 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION          .       .        .        , 
SONNET:— "AN   INVITATION." 

RBV.  H.  D.  RAWNSLEV 
CORSET   WEARING:  THE   MEDICAL  SIDE 

OF  THE   ATTACK.         W.   WRBERFORCB 

SMITH.  M  D.  •  • 

OUR  CHOICE  FROM  THE  *AS1I1ONS. 

SOPHIE  BRYANT.   isc.D. 
THE     DISTRIBUTION     OF     WEIGHT     IN 

CLOTHING.          E.     WINIFRLD     UICHSON, 

L.RC.P.andSl.  •        •        •        • 

THE    ARTISTIC     ASPECT    OF     DRESS. 

HENRY  HOLIUAV     (With  Illustrations)  . 
CYCLING  COSTUML"      MARGARET  BOOTH  SCOTT 
PRACTICAL    SUGGIibTlONS.      B.    GAHNITT 

(With  Illustrations.)        •  ... 

THE  EMPIRE  DRESS  (With  Illusuations.)  . 
THE  THREATENED  CRINOLINE  -  • 
HEALTHY  AND  ARTISTIC  DRESb  UNION 

Report.  &c.  • 


PAOE 

3 


No.  1. 


JULY,  1893 


THE  JOURNAL  OF  THE 

HEALTHY  &  ARTISTIC  DRESS  UNioMI 


COVER    FOR   A   MAGAZINE. 


157 


CHILDREN'S  BOOKS. 

in  books  of  this  kind  from  that  time  (about  1870) 
onwards.  Since  then  I  have  had  many  rivals  for 
the  favour  of  the  nursery  constituency,  notably 
my  late  friend  Randolph  Caldecott,  and  Miss 
Kate  Greenaway,  though  in  both  cases  their  aim 
lies  more  in  the  direction  of  character  study,  and 
their  work  is  more  of  a  pictorial  character  than 
strictly  decorative.  The  little  preface  heading 
from  his  "  Bracebridge  Hall "  gives  a  good  idea  of 
RANDOLPH  CALDECOTT. 


HEAD-PIECE   TO    "BRACEBRIDGE   HALL."          (MACMILLAN,    1877.) 

Caldecott's  style  when  his  aim  was  chiefly  decora- 
tive. Miss  Greenaway  is  the  most  distinctly  so 
perhaps  in  the  treatment  of  some  of  her  calendars. 
Children's  books  and  so-called  children's  books 
hold  a  peculiar  position.  They  are  attractive  to 
designers  of  an  imaginative  tendency,  for  in  a  sober 
and  matter-of-fact  age  they  afford  perhaps  the  only 
outlet  for  unrestricted  flights  of  fancy  open  to  the 
modern  illustrator,  who  likes  to  revolt  against  "  the 
despotism  of  facts."  While  on  children's  books, 
the  poetic  feeling  in  the  designs  of  E.  V.  B.  may 

158 


CHILDREN'S   BOOKS. 

be  mentioned,  and  I  mind  me  of  some  charming 
illustrations  to  a  book  of  Mr.  George  Macdonald's, 

KATE  GREENAWAY. 


KEY  BLOCK  OF  TITLE-PAGE  OF  "MOTHER  GOOSE." 

(ROUTLEDGE,  N.D.) 

"  At  the  Back  of  the  North  Wind,"  designed  by 
Mr.  Arthur  Hughes,  who  in  these  and  other  wood 

159 


JAPANESE  INFLUENCE. 

engraved  designs  shows,  no  less  than  in  his  paint- 
ings, how  refined  and  sympathetic  an  artist  he  is. 
Mr.  Robert  Bateman,  too,  designed  some  charming 
little  woodcuts,  full  of  poetic  feeling  and  con- 
trolled by  unusual  taste.  They  were  used  in  Mac- 
ARTHUR  HUGHES.  millan's  "Art  at 

Home "  series, 
though  not,  I 
believe,  origi- 
nally intended 
for  it. 

There  is  no 
doubt  that  the 
open  ing  of 
Japanese  ports 
to  Western  com- 
merce, whatever 
its  after  effects 
—  including  its 
effect  upon  the 
arts  of  Japan 
itself — has  had 
an  enormous 
influence  on 
European  and 
FROM  "AT  THE  BACK  OF  THE  NORTH  American  art. 

WIND." 

a  country  very  much,  as  regards  its  arts  and  handi- 
crafts with  the  exception  of  architecture,  in  the 
condition  of  a  European  country  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  with  wonderfully  skilled  artists  and  crafts- 
men in  all  manner  of  work  of  the  decorative  kind, 
who  were  under  the  influence  of  a  free  and  in- 
formal naturalism.  Here  at  least  was  a  living 

1 60 


JAPANESE   ILLUSTRATION. 

art,  an  art  of  the  people,  in  which  traditions  and 
craftsmanship  were  unbroken,  and  the  results  full 
of  attractive  variety,  quickness,  and  naturalistic 
force.  What  wonder  that  it  took  Western  artists 
by  storm,  and  that  its  effects  have  become  so 
patent,  though  ARTHUR  HUGHES, 

not  always 
happy,  ever 
since.  We  see 
unmistakable 
traces  of  Jap- 
anese influen- 
ces, however, 
almost  every- 
where —  from 
the  Parisian 
impressionist 
painter  to  the 
Japanese  fan 
in  the  corner 
of  trade  cir- 
culars, which 
shows  it  has 
been  adopted 
as  a  stock  prin- 
ters ornament.  FROM  «AT  THE  BACK  OF  THE  NORTH 
We  see  it  in  WIND."  (STRAHAN,  1871.) 

the  sketchy  blots  and  lines,  and  vignetted  natural- 
istic flowers  which  are  sometimes  offered  as  page 
decorations,  notably  in  American  magazines  and 
fashionable  etchings.  We  have  caught  the  vices 
of  Japanese  art  certainly,  even  if  we  have  as- 
similated some  of  the  virtues. 

In  the  absence  of  any  really  noble  architecture 
161  M 


ROBERT  BATEMAN. 


JAPANESE   ILLUSTRATION. 

or  substantial  constructive  sense,  the  Japanese 
artists  are  not  safe  guides  as  designers.  They 
may  be  able  to  throw  a  spray  of  leaves  or  a  bird 
or  fish  across  a  blank  panel  or  sheet  of  paper, 
drawing  them  with  such  consummate  skill  and 
certainty  that  it  may  delude  us  into  the  belief  that 
it  is  decorative  design ;  but  if  an  artist  of  less  skill 

essays  to  do  the  like 
the  mistake  becomes 
obvious.  Granted 
they  have  a  deco- 
rative sense  -  -  the 
finesse  which  goes 
to  the  placing  of  a 
flower  in  a  pot,  of 
hanging  a  garland 
on  a  wall,  or  of 
placing  a  mat  or 
a  fan  —  taste,  in 
short,  that  is  a 
different  thing  from 
real  constructive 
power  of  design, 


FROM 


ART  IN  THE  HOUSE. 

(MACMILLAN,  1876.) 

and  satisfactory  filling  of  spaces. 

When  we  come  to  their  books,  therefore,  mar- 
vellous as  they  are,  and  full  of  beauty  and  sugges- 
tion— apart  from  their  natural  ism,  grotesquerie,  and 
humour — they  do  not  furnish  fine  examples  of 
page  decoration  as  a  rule.  The  fact  that  their 
text  is  written  vertically,  however,  must  be  allowed 
for.  This,  indeed,  converts  their  page  into  a  panel, 
and  their  printed  books  become  rather  what  we 
should  consider  sets  of  designs  for  decorating  light 
panels,  and  extremely  charming  as  such. 

162 


ROBERT   BATEMAN. 


JAPANESE    ILLUSTRATION. 

These  drawings  of  Hokusai's  (see  Nos.  10  and 
n,  Appendix),  the  most  vigorous  and  prolific  of 
the  more  modern  and  popular  school,  are  striking 
enough  and  fine  enough,  in  their  own  way,  and 
the  decorative  sense  is  never  absent;  controlled, 
too,  by  the  dark  border-line,  they  do  fill  the  page, 
which  is  not  the  case  always  with  the  flowers  and 
birds.  However, 
I  believe  these 
holes,  blanks,  and 
spaces  to  let  are 
only  tolerable  in 
a  book  because  the 
drawing  where  it 
does  occur  is  so 
skilful  (except 
where  the  effect  is 
intentionally  open 
and  light) ;  and 
from  tolerating  we 
grow  to  like  them, 

I  suppose,  and  take  FROM  "ART  IN  THE  HOUSE." 
them    for  signs  of  (MACMILLAN,  1877.) 

mastery  and  decorative  skill.  In  their  smaller 
applied  ornamental  designs,  however,  the  Japanese 
often  show  themselves  fully  aware  of  a  systematic 
plan  or  geometric  base  :  and  there  is  usually  some 
hidden  geometric  relation  of  line  in  some  of  their 
apparently  accidental  compositions.  Their  books 
of  crests  and  pattern  plans  show  indeed  a  careful 
study  of  geometric  shapes,  and  their  controlling 
influence  in  designing. 

As  regards  the  history  and  use  of  printing,  the 
Japanese  had  it  from  the  Chinese,  who  invented 

163 


ROBERT   BATEMAN. 


JAPANESE  PRINTING. 

the  art  of  printing  from  wooden  blocks  in  the 
sixth  century.  "We  have  no  record,"  says  Pro- 
fessor Douglas,1  "  as  to  the  date  when  metal  type 
was  first  used  in  China,  but  we  find  Korean  books 
printed  as  early  as  1317  with  movable  clay  or 
wooden  type,  and  just  a  century  later  we  have  a 
record  of  a  fount  of  metal  type  being  cast  to  print 

an  "  Epitome  of 
the  Eighteen  His- 
torical Records  of 
China."  Printing  is 
supposed  to  have 
been  adopted  in 
Japan  "  after  the 
first  invasion  of  the 
Korea  by  the  ar- 
mies of  Hideyoshi, 
in  the  end  of  the 
sixteenth  century, 
when  large  quan- 
tities of  movable 
type  books  were 
(MACMILLAN,  1876.)  brought  back  by 
one  of  his  generals,  which  formed  the  model  upon 
which  the  Japanese  worked."2 

I  have  mentioned  the  American  development 
of  wood-engraving.  Its  application  to  magazine 
illustration  seems  certainly  to  have  developed  or  to 
have  occured  with  the  appearance  of  very  clever 
draughtsmen  from  the  picturesque  and  literal 
point  of  view. 

1  Guide  to  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  Illustrated  Books  in 
the  British  Museum. 

2  Satow.     "  History  of  Printing  in  Japan." 

164 


FROM    "ART   IN   THE   HOUSE. 


JOSEPH   PENNELL. 

The  admirable  and  delicate  architectural  and 
landscape  drawings  of  Mr.  Joseph  Pennell,  for 
instance,  are  well  known,  and,  as  purely  illustrative 
work,  fresh,  crisp  in  drawing,  and  original  in  treat- 
ment, giving  essential  points  of  topography  and 
local  characteristics  (with  a  happy  if  often  quaint 
and  unexpected  selection  of  point  of  view,  and 
pictorial  limits),  it  ROBERT  BATEMAN. 

would  be  difficult 
to  find  their  match, 
but  very  small  con- 
sideration or  con- 
sciousness is  shown 
for  the  page.  If 
he  will  pardon  my 
saying  so,  in  some 
instances  the  illus- 
trations are,  or 
used  to  be,  often 
daringly  driven 
through  the  text, 
scattering  it  right  FRO]V 
and  left,  like  the 
effect  of  a  coach  and  four  upon  a  flock  of  sheep. 
In  some  of  his  more  recent  work,  notably  in  his 
bolder  drawings  such  as  those  in  the  "  Daily 
Chronicle,"  he  appears  to  have  considered  the 
type  relation  much  more,  and  shows,  especially  in 
some  of  his  skies,  a  feeling  for  a  radiating  arrange- 
ment of  line. 

Our  American  cousins  have  taught  us  another 
mode  of  treatment  in  magazine  pages.  It  is  what 
I  have  elsewhere  described  as  the  "card-basket 
style."  A  number  of  naturalistic  sketches  are 

165 


"ART  IN  THE  HOUSE/ 

(MACMILLAN,  1876.) 


AMERICAN   DRAUGHTSMEN. 

thrown  accidentally  together,  the  upper  ones 
hiding  the  under  ones  partly,  and  to  give  variety 
the  corner  is  occasionally  turned  down.  There 
has  been  a  great  run  on  this  idea  of  late  years,  but 
I  fancy  it  is  a  card  trick  about  "  played  out." 

However  opinions  may  vary,  I  think  there  can- 
not be  a  doubt  that  in  Elihu  Vedder  we  have  an 
instance  of  an  American  artist  of  great  imaginative 
powers,  and  undoubtedly  a  designer  of  originality 
and  force.  This  is  sufficiently  proved  from  his 
large  work — the  illustrations  to  the  "  Rubaiyat  of 
Omar  Khayyam."  Although  the  designs  have  no 
Persian  character  about  them  which  one  would 
have  thought  the  poem  and  its  imagery  would 
naturally  have  suggested,  yet  they  are  a  fine 
series,  and  show  much  decorative  sense  and 
dramatic  power,  and  are  quite  modern  in  feeling. 
His  designs  for  the  cover  of  "  The  Century 
Magazine"  show  taste  and  decorative  feeling  in 
the  combination  of  figures  with  lettering. 

Mr.  Edwin  Abbey  is  another  able  artist,  who 
has  shown  considerable  care  for  his  illustrated 
page,  in  some  cases  supplying  his  own  lettering ; 
though  he  has  been  growing  more  pictorial  of  late  : 
Mr.  Alfred  Parsons  also,  though  he  too  often  seems 
more  drawn  to  the  picture  than  the  decoration. 
Mr.  Hey  wood  Sumner  shows  a  charming  decora- 
tive sense  and  imaginative  feeling,  as  well  as 
humour.  On  the  purely  ornamental  side,  the 
accomplished  decorations  of  Mr.  Lewis  Day  exhibit 
both  ornamental  range  and  resource,  which,  though 
in  general  devoted  to  other  objects,  are  conspicu- 
ous enough  in  certain  admirable  book  and  maga- 
zine covers  he  has  designed. 

166 


HEYWOOD   SUMNER. 


FROM  "STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN,"  BY  FRANCES  M.  PEARD.  (ALLEN,  1896.) 


CHARLES   KEENE. 


ILLUSTRATION  TO   "THE  GOOD   FIGHT."     (n  ONCE  A   WEEK,"    1859.) 
(By  permission  of  Messrs.  Bradbury,  Agnew  and  Co.) 
169 


THE  "ENGLISH   ILLUSTRATED  MAGAZINE." 

"The  English  Illustrated  Magazine,"  under 
Mr.  Corny ns  Carr's  editorship,  by  its  use  of  both 
old  and  modern  headings,  initials  and  ornaments, 
did  something  towards  encouraging  the  taste  for 
decorative  design  in  books.  Among  the  artists 
who  designed  pages  therein  should  be  named 

HEYWOOD   SUMNER. 


FROM    "  STORIES    FOR   CHILDREN,"  BY   F.  M.  PEARD. 


(ALLEN,  1896.) 


Henry  Ryland  and  Louis  Davis,  both  showing 
graceful  ornamental  feeling,  the  children  of  the 
latter  artist  being  very  charming. 

But  it  would  need  much  more  space  to  attempt 
to  do  justice  to  the  ability  of  my  contemporaries, 
especially  in  the  purely  illustrative  division,  than 
I  am  able  to  give. 

The  able  artists  of  "Punch,"  however,  from  John 
Leech  to  Linley  Sambourne,  have  done  much  to 
keep  alive  a  vigorous  style  of  drawing  in  line, 
which,  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Sambourne,  is  united 

170 


LOUIS   DAVIS. 


/Me 

[Iwp.  baby.sleep!  the  Jjftother  sings: 

Bleep.baby.sleep!   Ulinss' 
SJith  suiatbes  of  scented  bay  thy  bed 
By  ^Dar^'shand  at  eve  was  spread. 

§§leep,babtj,  sleep! 
ilt  midnight  came tb?  shepherds, the^ 
OQhom  seraphs  aiafcetted  by  tbe  ojai^. 


^nS  tl)ree  fcan^s  from  the  (East  afar 
£re  5aoin  came  guided  b  a  star. 


rought  tbee  ^ifts^of  qpld  ar\ 
Rjch  orient  pearls,  pure  diadems. 

Bleep.bdby.sleep! 
fiuMhou  ttiho  liest  slumbcrin^there 
^rtKinQoflsJnc^s.earlh,  ocean,  air. 

Hleep.  baby,  sleep! 
Sleep,  bab^sleepl  Che  shepherds  si 
ah  beaven.throuahearlh.hosannas 
Sleep,  babH,  sleep! 


FROM  THE  "ENGLISH  ILLUSTRATED  MAGAZINE"  (1892). 


"ONCE   A  WEEK." 

with  great  invention,  graphic  force,  and  designing 
power.  In  speaking  of  "  Punch,"  one  ought  not  to 
forget  either  the  important  part  played  by  "  Once 
a  Week  "  in  introducing  many  first-rate  artists  in 
line.  In  its  early  days  we  had  Charles  Keene 
illustrating  Charles  Reade's  "  Good  Fight,"  with 
much  feeling  for  the  decorative  effect  of  the  old 
German  woodcut.  Such  admirable  artists  as 
M.  J.  Lawless  and  Frederick  Sandys — the  latter 
especially  distinguished  for  his  splendid  line  draw- 
ings in  "Once  a  Week"  and  "The  Cornhill ; " 
one  of  his  finest  is  here  given,  "  The  Old  Chartist/' 
which  accompanied  a  poem  by  Mr.  George  Mere- 
dith. Indeed,  it  is  impossible  to  speak  too  highly 
of  Mr.  Sandys'  draughtsmanship  and  power  of 
expression  by  means  of  line ;  he  is  one  of  our 
modern  English  masters  who  has  never,  I  think, 
had  justice  done  to  him. 

I  can  only  just  briefly  allude  to  certain  powerful 
and  original  modern  designers  of  Germany,  where 
indeed,  the  old  vigorous  traditions  of  woodcut  and 
illustrative  drawing  seem  to  have  been  kept  more 
unbroken  than  elsewhere. 

On  the  purely  character-drawing,  pictorial  and 
illustrative  side,  there  is  of  course  Menzel,  tho- 
roughly modern,  realistic,  and  dramatic.  I  am  think- 
ing more  perhaps  of  such  men  as  Alfred  Rethel, 
whose  designs  of  "  Death  the  Friend  "  and  "  Death 
the  Enemy,"  two  large  woodcuts,  are  well  known. 
I  remember  also  a  very  striking  series  of  designs 
of  his,  a  kind  of  modern  "  Dance  of  Death,"  which 
appeared  about  1848,  I  think.  Schwind  is  another 
whose  designs  to  folk  tales  are  thoroughly  German 
in  spirit  and  imagination,  and  style  of  drawing. 

172 


HENRY  RYLAND. 


Me  Great  assays 
>*r>n<f  Cne  seornfui  ujavj 
patie 


notj  Gjbtfet  TUX.  (Acs 

been  and  ts 
acneuer  meant  amirs 

TU3C 


not.  then,  thjune.  own 


moued 


FROM   THE   "ENGLISH   ILLUSTRATED   MAGAZINE"  (1894). 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY. 
Oscar  Pletsch,  too,  is  remarkable  for  his  feeling 
for  village  life  and  children,  and  many  of  his  illus- 
trations have  been  reproduced  in  this  country. 
More  recent  evidence,  and  more  directly  in  the 
decorative  direction,  of  the  vigour  and  ornamental 
skill  of  German  designers,  is  to  be  found  in  those 
picturesque  calendars,  designed  by  Otto  Hupp, 
which  come  from  Munich,  and  show  something 
very  like  the  old  feeling  of  Burgmair,  especially 
in  the  treatment  of  the  heraldry. 

I  have  ventured  to  give  a  page  or  two  here 
from  my  own  books,  "  Grimm,"  "  The  Sirens 
Three,"  and  others,  which  serve  at  least  to  show 
two  very  different  kinds  of  page  treatment.  In 
the  "Grimm"  the  picture  is  inclosed  in  formal 
and  rectangular  lines,  with  medallions  of  flowers 
at  the  four  corners,  the  title  and  text  being 
written  on  scrolls  above  and  below.  In  "The 
Sirens  Three"  a  much  freer  and  more  purely 
ornamental  treatment  is  adopted,  and  a  bolder 
and  more  open  line.  A  third,  the  frontispiece  of 
"  The  Necklace  of  Princess  Fiorimonde,"  by  Miss 
de  Morgan,  is  more  of  a  simple  pictorial  treatment, 
though  strictly  decorative  in  its  scheme  of  line  and 
mass. 

The  facile  methods  of  photographic-automatic 
reproduction  certainly  give  an  opportunity  to  the 
designer  to  write  out  his  own  text  in  the  character 
that  pleases  him,  and  that  accords  with  his  design, 
and  so  make  his  page  a  consistent  whole  from  a 
decorative  point  of  view,  and  I  venture  to  think 
when  this  is  done  a  unity  of  effect  is  gained  for  the 
page  not  possible  in  any  other  way. 

Indeed,    the    photograph,    with    all    its    allied 
174 


175 


177 


N 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY, 
discoveries  and  its  application  to  the  service  of  the 
printing  press,  may  be  said  to  be  as  important  a 
discovery  in  its  effects  on  art  and  books  as  was  the 
discovery  of  printing  itself.  It  has  already  largely 
transformed  the  system  of  the  production  of  illus- 
trations and  designs  for  books,  magazines,  and 
newspapers,  and  has  certainly  been  the  means  of 
securing  to  the  artist  the  advantage  of  possession 
of  his  original,  while  its  fidelity,  in  the  best  pro- 
cesses, is,  of  course,  very  valuable. 

Its  influence,  however,  on  artistic  style  and  treat- 
ment has  been,  to  my  mind,  of  more  doubtful 
advantage.  The  effect  on  painting  is  palpable 
enough,  but  so  far  as  painting  becomes  photo- 
graphic, the  advantage  is  on  the  side  of  the 
photograph.  It  has  led  in  illustrative  work  to  the 
method  of  painting  in  black  and  white,  which  has 
taken  the  place  very  much  of  the  use  of  line,  and 
through  this,  and  by  reason  of  its  having  fostered 
and  encouraged  a  different  way  of  regarding  nature 
— from  the  point  of  view  of  accidental  aspect,  light 
and  shade,  and  tone — it  has  confused  and  deterio- 
rated, I  think,  the  faculty  of  inventive  design,  and 
the  sense  of  ornament  and  line;  having  concent- 
rated artistic  interest  on  the  literal  realization  of 
certain  aspects  of  superficial  facts,  and  instanta- 
neous impressions  instead  of  ideas,  and  the  abstract 
treatment  of  form  and  line. 

This,  however,  may  be  as  much  the  tendency  of 
an  age  as  the  result  of  photographic  invention, 
although  the  influence  of  the  photograph  must 
count  as  one  of  the  most  powerful  factors  of  that 
tendency.  Thought  and  vision  divide  the  world 
of  art  between  them — our  thoughts  follow  our 

178 


WALTER  CRANE. 


-  THE- 

SLEEPINO 
"BEAUTY- 


LAST  KG 'CAME' TO 'THE 
'  TOWER.'  ff  OPCNCD- THE 'DOOR.' 
OF  "THE-  UTTUE-  ROOM*  WHIR&* 
LAY.' 


WALTER   CRANE. 


FRONTISPIECE.         "  PRINCESS   FIORIMONDE  "  (MACMILLAN,    l88o). 

Igl 


WALTER  CRANE. 


on  1 5)  tipzss  sea . 

rifted  w.'dt,wirti  idlt  sail 
> J~Ind  slow  pulsah'ngoao.fW  nights 

noistlfdy  fo  CVimtS  recurring  Tak. 


..^  rolling  noqrs  likt  wavts  UoKt.ont  ^  -.._, 
n  Hrrt  fidt  ol  tnou^ht  times  5anoLj  outrun,    0 

cloudy  visions  hovered  otr  my  Ged , 
Pilid  to  flu  5r£UT5,  full  Soon  likt  cloud  undone : 

6° ^ilflg*— 

i.likt  Tnt  w^kn  moon  tnrougn  nfr  Hitcy 

>jLlay  Sbirjl  clov£  Hilir  rdclc  uncia^incTly, 
-_       A         |.  i  ^«  S  *  I    T 

,•      -vAina   struck  at  lexsb  ubon  an  unknown  ground,* 
5till  Hldn  >l?£t>    mof/  stTdn^c  fnAn  arram  Ui>di 


;THE  SIRENS  THREE1'  OPENING  PAGE.  (MACMILLAN,  l886.) 


183 


A   DECORATIVE   IDEAL. 

vision,  our  vision  is  influenced  by  our  thoughts. 
A  book  may  be  the  home  of  both  thought  and 
vision.  Speaking  figuratively,  in  regard  to  book 
decoration,  some  are  content  with  a  rough  shanty 
in  the  woods,  and  care  only  to  get  as  close  to 
nature  in  her  more  superficial  aspects  as  they  can. 
Others  would  surround  their  house  with  a  garden 
indeed,  but  they  demand  something  like  an  archi- 
tectural plan.  They  would  look  at  a  frontispiece 
like  a  fa$ade ;  they  would  take  hospitable  encour- 
agement from  the  title-page  as  from  a  friendly  in- 
scription over  the  porch  ;  they  would  hang  a  votive 
wreath  at  the  dedication,  and  so  pass  on  into  the 
hall  of  welcome,  take  the  author  by  the  hand  and 
be  led  by  him  and  his  artist  from  room  to  room,  as 
page  after  page  is  turned,  fairly  decked  and  adorned 
with  picture,  and  ornament,  and  device ;  and,  per- 
haps, finding  it  a  dwelling  after  his  desire,  the 
guest  is  content  to  rest  in  the  ingle  nook  in  the 
firelight  of  the  spirit  of  the  author  or  the  play  of 
fancy  of  the  artist ;  and,  weaving  dreams  in  the 
changing  lights  and  shadows,  to  forget  life's  rough 
way  and  the  tempestuous  world  outside. 


CHAPTER  IV.  OF  THE  RECENT  DE- 
VELOPMENT OF  DECORATIVE  BOOK 
ILLUSTRATION  AND  THE  MODERN 
REVIVAL  OF  PRINTING  AS  AN  ART. 
,INCE  the  three  Cantor  Lectures, 
which  form  the  substance  of  the 
foregoing  chapters,  were  de- 
livered by  me  at  the  rooms  of 
the  Society  of  Arts,  some  six  or 
seven  years  have  elapsed,  and 
they  have  been  remarkable  for  a 
pronounced  revival  of  activity 
and  interest  in  the  art  of  the  printer  and  the 
decorative  illustrator,  the  paper-maker,  the  binder, 
and  all  the  crafts  connected  with  the  production 
of  tasteful  and  ornate  books. 

Publishers  and  printers  have  shown  a  desire  to 
return  to  simpler  and  earlier ,  standards  of  taste, 
and  in  the  choice  and  arrangement  of  the  type  to 
take  a  leaf  out  of  the  book  of  some  of  the  early 
professors  of  the  craft.  There  has  been  a  passion 
for  tall  copies  and  handmade  paper;  for  delicate 
bindings,  and  first  editions. 

There  has  grown  up,  too,  quite  a  literature  about 
the  making  of  the  book  beautiful — whereof  the  Ex- 
Libris  Series  alone  is  witness.  We  have,  besides, 
the  history  of  Early  Printed  Books  by  Mr.  Gordon 
Duff,  of  Early  Illustrated  Books  by  Mr.  Pollard. 
The  Book-plate  has  been  looked  after  by  Mr.  Eger- 
ton  Castle,  and  by  a  host  of  eager  collectors  ever 
since.  Mr.  Pennell  is  well  known  as  the  tutelary 
genius  who  takes  charge  of  illustrators,  and  dis- 
courses upon  them  at  large,  and  Mr.  Strange  bids 
us,  none  too  soon,  to  become  acquainted  with  our 

185 


MODERN  TYPOGRAPHY. 

alphabets.  I  have  not  yet  heard  of  any  specialist 
taking  up  his  parable  upon  "end  papers,"  but, 
altogether,  the  book  has  never  perhaps  had  so 
much  writing  outside  of  it,  as  it  were,  before. 

A  brilliant  band  of  illustrators  and  ornamentists 
have  appeared,  too,  and  nearly  every  month  or  so 
we  hear  of  a  new  genius  in  black  and  white,  who 
is  to  eclipse  all  others.  For  all  that,  even  in  the 
dark  ages,  between  the  mid-nineteenth  century  and 
the  early  eighties,  one  or  two  printers  or  publishers 
of  taste  have  from  time  to  time  attempted  to 
restrain  the  wild  excesses  of  the  trade-printer, 
with  his  terribly  monotonous  novelties  in  founts  of 
type,  alternately  shouting  or  whispering,  anon  in 
the  crushing  and  aggressive  heaviness  of  block 
capitals,  and  now  in  the  attenuated  droop  of  italics. 
Sad  havoc  has  been  played  with  the  decorative 
dignity  of  the  page,  indeed,  as  well  as  with  the 
form  and  breed  of  roman  and  gothic  letters :  one 
might  have  imagined  that  some  mischievous 
printer's  devil  had  thrown  the  apple  of  discord 
among  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  so  ingeniously 
ugly  were  so  many  modern  so-called  "  fancy"  types. 

We  have  had  good  work  from  the  Edinburgh 
houses,  from  Messrs.  R.  and  R.  Clark,  and  Messrs. 
Constable,  and  in  London  from  the  Chiswick 
Press,  for  instance,  ever  since  the  old  days  of  its 
connection  with  the  tasteful  and  well  printed 
volumes  from  the  house  of  Pickering.  Various 
artists,  too,  in  association  with  their  book  designs, 
from  D.  G.  Rossetti  onwards,  have  designed 
their  own  lettering  to  be  in  decorative  harmony 
with  their  designs.  The  Century  Guild,  with  its 
"  Hobby  Horse "  and  its  artists,  like  Mr.  Home 

186 


SELWYN  IMAGE. 


FROM  TITLE-PAGE.    "THE  SCOTTISH  ART  REVIEW "( SCOTT,  1889). 

187 


THE  KELMSCOTT  PRESS. 

and  Mr.  Selwyn  Image,  did  much  to  keep  alive 
true  taste  in  printing  and  book  decoration, 
when  they  were  but  little  understood.1  There 
have  been  printers,  too,  such  as  Mr.  Daniel  at 
Oxford,  and  De  Vinne  at  New  York,  who  have 
from  different  points  of  view  brought  care  and 
selection  to  the  choice  of  type  and  the  printing  of 
books,  and  have  adapted  or  designed  type. 

But  the  field  for  extensive  artistic  experiment  in 
these  directions  was  tolerably  clear  when  Mr. 
William  Morris  turned  his  attention  to  printing, 
and,  in  1891,  founded  the  Kelmscott  Press. 

So  far  as  I  am  aware,  he  has  been  the  first  to 
approach  the  craft  of  practical  printing  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  artist,  and  although,  no  doubt, 
the  fact  of  being  a  man  of  letters  as  well  was  an 
extra  advantage,  his  particular  success  in  the  art 
of  printing  is  due  to  the  former  qualification.  A  long 
and  distinguished  practice  as  a  designer  in  other 
matters  of  decorative  art  brought  him  to  the  nice 
questions  of  type  design,  its  place  upon  the  page, 
and  its  relation  to  printed  ornament  and  illustration, 
peculiarly  well  equipped ;  while  his  historic  know- 
ledge and  discrimination,  and  the  possession  of  an 
extraordinarily  rich  and  choice  collection  of  both 
mediaeval  MSS.  and  early  printed  books  afforded 
him  an  abundant  choice  of  the  best  models. 

In  the  results  which  have  been  produced  at  the 

1  And  they  elicited  a  response  from  across  the  water  in  the 
shape  of  "  The  Knight  Errant,"  the  work  of  a  band  of  young 
enthusiasts  at  Boston,  Mass.,  of  which  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr. 
Goodhue  may  be  named  as  leading  spirits — the  latter  being  the 
designer  of  the  cover  of  "The  Knight  Errant,"  and  the  former 
the  printer. 

189 


THE   KELMSCOTT  PRESS. 

Kelmscott  press  we  trace  the  effect  of  all  these 
influences,  acting  under  the  strongest  personal 
predilection,  and  a  mediaeval  bias  (in  an  artistic 
sense)  which  may  be  said  to  be  almost  exclusive. 

The  Kelmscott  roman  type  ("golden")  perhaps 
rather  suggests  that  it  was  designed  to  anticipate 
and  to  provide  against  the  demand  of  readers  or 
book  fanciers  who  could  stand  nothing  else  than 
roman,  while  the  heart  of  the  printer  really 
hankered  after  black  letter.  But  compare  this 
"golden"  type  with  most  modern  lower  case 
founts,  up  to  the  date  of  its  use,  and  its  advan- 
tages both  in  form  and  substance  are  remarkable. 
Modern  type,  obeying,  I  suppose,  a  resistless 
law  of  evolution,  had  reached,  especially  with 
American  printers,  the  last  stage  of  attenuation. 
The  type  of  the  Kelmscott  press  is  an  emphatic 
and  practical  protest  against  this  attenuation  ;  just 
as  its  bold  black  and  white  ornaments  and  decora- 
tive woodcuts  in  open  line  are  protests  against 
the  undue  thinness,  atmospheric  effect,  and  dia- 
phanous vignetting  by  photographic  process  and 
tone-block  of  much  modern  illustration,  which 
may  indeed  illustrate,  but  does  not  ornament  a 
book.  The  paper,  too,  hand-made,  rough-surfaced, 
and  tough,  is  in  equally  strong  contrast  to  the 
shiny  hot-pressed  machine-made  paper,  hitherto 
so  much  in  vogue  for  the  finer  kinds  of  printing, 
and  by  which  it  alone  became  possible.  The  two 
kinds — the  two  ideals  of  printing — are  as  far  apart 
as  the  poles.  Those  who  like  the  smooth  and 
thin,  will  not  like  the  bold  and  rough  ;  but  it  looks 
as  if  the  Kelmscott  standard  had  marked  the  turn 
of  the  tide,  and  that,  judging  from  the  signs  of  its 

190 


WILLIAM   MORRIS 


WALTER   CRANE. 


Chapter  II.  6vil  tidings  come  to  band  at 


long  bad  be  worked  ere  be 
beard  tbe  sound  of  borsc/boofs 
once  more,  and  be  looked  not 
up,  but  said  to  bimeelf,  "It  is 
but  tbe  lade  bringing  bach  tbe 
teams  from  tbe  acres,  and  riding 
fast  and  driving  bard  for  joy 
of  beart  and  in  wantonneee  of 


youtb"jflPBut  tbe  sound  grew  nearer  and  be  look- 
ed up  and  eaw  over  tbe  turf  wall  of  tbe  gartb  tbe 


A  PAGE  FROM  "THE  GLITTERING  PLAIN."  (KELMSCOTT  PRESS,  1894.) 


THE  KELMSCOTT  PRESS. 

influence  upon  printers  and  publishers  generally, 
the  feeling  is  running  strongly  in  that  direction. 
(One  would  think  the  human  eyesight  would  benefit 
also.)  This  is  the  more  remarkable  since  the 
Kelmscott  books  are  by  no  means  issued  at 
"popular  prices,"  are  limited  in  number,  and  for 
the  most  part  are  hardly  for  the  general  reader — 
unless  that  ubiquitous  person  is  more  erudite  and 
omnivorous  than  is  commonly  credited. 

Books,  however,  which  may  be  called  monu- 
mental in  the  national  and  general  sense,  have 
been  printed  at  the  Kelmscott  press,  such  as 
Shakespeare's  "  Poems,"  More's  "Utopia";  and 
Mr.  Morris's  magnum  opus,  the  folio  Chaucer, 
enriched  by  the  designs  of  Burne- Jones,  has 
recently  been  completed.1 

In  Mr.  Morris's  ornaments  and  initials,  nearly 
always  admirably  harmonious  in  their  quantities 
with  the  character  and  mass  of  the  type,  we  may 
perhaps  trace  mixed  influences  in  design.  In  the 
rich  black  and  white  scroll  and  floral  borders  sur- 
rounding the  title  and  first  pages,  we  seem  to  see 
the  love  of  close-filling  and  interlacement  charac- 
teristic of  Celtic  and  Byzantine  work,  with  a  touch 
of  the  feeling  of  the  practical  textile  designer, 
which  comes  out  again  in  the  up-and-down,  de- 
tached bold  page  ornaments,  though  here  com- 
bined with  suggestions  from  early  English  illu- 
minated MS. 

These   influences,    however,   only   add    to   the 

1  Completed,  indeed,  it  might  almost  be  said,  with  the  life 
of  the  craftsman.  It  is  sad  to  have  to  record,  while  these 
pages  were  passing  through  the  press,  our  master  printer — one 
of  the  greatest  Englishmen  of  our  time — is  no  more. 

193  o 


THE   KELMSCOTT   PRESS. 

distinctive  character  and  richness  of  the  effect,  and 
no  attempt  is  made  to  get  beyond  the  simple 
conditions  of  bold  black  and  white  designs  for  the 
woodcut  and  the  press. 

Mr.  Morris  adopts  the  useful  canon  in  printing 
that  the  true  page  is  what  the  open  book  displays 
— what  is  generally  termed  a  double  page.  He 
considers  them  practically  as  two  columns  of  type, 
necessarily  separate  owing  to  the  construction  of 
the  book,  but  together  as  it  lies  open,  forming  a 
page  of  type,  only  divided  by  the  narrow  margin 
where  the  leaves  are  inserted  in  the  back  of  the 
covers.  We  thus  get  the  recto  and  the  verso  pages 
or  columns,  each  with  their  distinctive  proportions 
of  margin,  as  they  turn  to  the  right  or  the  left  from 
the  centre  of  the  book — the  narrowest  margins 
being  naturally  inwards  and  at  the  top,  the 
broadest  those  outwards  and  at  the  foot,  which 
latter  should  be  deepest  of  all.  It  may  be  called 
the  handle  of  the  book,  and  there  is  reason  in  the 
broad  margin,  though  also  gracious  to  the  eye, 
since  the  hand  may  hold  the  book  without  covering 
any  of  the  type. 

It  is  really  the  due  consideration  of  the  necessity 
of  these  little  utilities  in  the  construction  and  use 
of  a  thing  which  enables  the  modern  designer — 
separated  as  he  is  from  the  actual  maker — to 
preserve  that  distinctive  and  organic  character  in 
any  work  so  valuable,  and  always  so  fruitful  in 
artistic  suggestion,  and  this  I  think  holds  true  of 
all  design  in  association  with  handicraft. 

The  more  immediate  and  intimate — one  might 
occasionally  say  imitative — influence  of  the 
Kelmscott  press  may  be  seen  in  the  extremely 

194 


C.  M.  GERE. 


IMIDSUMMCR 


C  rown  of  the  year  bow  fair  tbou.  shines  t 
Mow  little  in  thy  bride  divinest 
Inevitable  fall. 


FROM  THE  "ENGLISH  ILLUSTRATED  MAGAZINE"  (1893). 


ARTHUR  GASKIN. 


FROM  "HANS  ANDERSEN." 


199 


(ALLEN,  1893.) 


EDMUND   H.   NEW. 


BRIDGE  ST 

EVESHAM: 


PROCESS   BLOCK   FROM   THE   ORIGINAL   PEN   DRAWING. 
2OI 


THE  BIRMINGHAM  SCHOOL, 
interesting  work  of  a  group  of  young  artists  who 
own  their  training  to  the  Birmingham  School  of 
Art,  as  developed  under  the  taste  and  ability  of 
Mr.  Taylor.  Three  of  these,  Mr.  C.  M.  Gere, 
Mr.  E.  H.  New,  and  Mr.  Gaskin,  have  designed 
illustrations  for  some  of  Mr.  Morris's  Kelmscott 
books,  so  that  the  connection  of  ideas  is  perfectly 
sequent  and  natural,  and  it  is  only  as  might  be 
expected  that  the  school  should  have  the  courage 
of  their  artistic  opinions,  and  boldly  carry  into 
practice  the  results  of  their  Kelmscott  inspira- 
tions, by  printing  a  journal  themselves,  "  The 
Quest." 

Mr.  Gere,  Mr.  Gaskin,  and  Mr.  New  may  be 
said  to  be  the  leaders  of  the  Birmingham  School. 
Mr.  Gere  has  engraved  on  wood  some  of  his  own 
designs,  and  he  thoroughly  realizes  the  ornamental 
value  of  bold  and  open  line  drawing  in  association 
with  lettering,  and  is  a  careful  and  conscientious 
draughtsman  and  painter  besides.  A  typical  in- 
stance of  his  work  is  the  "  Finding  of  St.  George." 

Mr.  Gaskin's  Christmas  book,  "  King  Wen- 
ceslas,"  is,  perhaps,  his  best  work  so  far  as  we 
have  seen.  The  designs  are  simple  and  bold, 
and  in  harmony  with  the  subject,  and  good  in 
decorative  character.  His  illustrations  to  Hans 
Christian  Andersen's  "  Fairy  Tales  "  are  full  of  a 
naive  romantic  feeling,  and  have  much  sense  of 
the  decorative  possibilities  of  black  and  white 
drawing.  Mrs.  Gaskin's  designs  for  children's 
books  show  a  quaint  fancy  and  ornamental  feel- 
ing characteristic  of  the  school. 

Mr.  New's  feeling  is  for  quaint  streets  and  old 
buildings,  which  he  draws  with  conscientious 

203 


THE  BIRMINGHAM  SCHOOL, 
thoroughness,  and  attention  to  characteristic  details 
of  construction  and  local  variety,  without  any 
reliance  on  accidental  atmospheric  effects,  but 
using  a  firm  open  line  and  broad,  simple  arrange- 
ments of  light  and  shade,  which  give  them  a 
decorative  look  as  book  illustrations.  It  is  owing 

INIGO  THOMAS. 


FROM  "THE  FORMAL  GARDEN."  (MACMILLAN,  1892.) 

to  these  qualities  that  they  are  ornamental,  and 
not  to  any  actual  ornament.  Indeed,  in  those 
cases  where  he  has  introduced  borders  to  frame 
his  pictures,  he  does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  so 
successful  as  an  ornamentist  pure  and  simple, 
though  in  his  latest  work,  the  illustrations  to 
Mr.  Lane's  edition  of  Isaac  Walton's  "  Compleat 
Angler,"  there  are  pretty  headings  and  tasteful 
title  scrolls,  as  well  as  good  drawings  of  places. 

The  question  of  border  is,  however,  always  a 
most  difficult  one.     One  might  compare  the  illus- 

204 


INIGO  THOMAS. 


FROM  "THE  FORMAL  GARDEN."          (MACMILLAN,  1892.) 
205 


THE  ^  BIRMINGHAM  SCHOOL, 
trative  drawings  of  architecture  and  gardens  of 
Mr.  Inigo  Thomas  in  Mr.  Reginald  Blomfield's 
work  on  gardens,  with  Mr.  New,  as  showing, 
with  considerable  decorative  feeling,  and  feeling 
for  the  subject,  a  very  different  method  of  draw- 
ing, one  might  say  more  pictorial  in  a  sense,  the 
line  being  much  thinner  and  closer,  and  in  effect 
greyer  and  darker.  The  introduction  of  the 
titles  helps  the  ornamental  effect. 

Among  the  leading  artists  of  the  Birmingham 
School  must  be  mentioned  Mr.  H.  Payne,  Mr. 
Bernard  Sleigh  and  Mr.  Mason  for  their  romantic 
feeling  in  story  illustrations ;  Miss  Bradley  for 
her  inventive  treatment  of  crowds  and  groups  of 
children ;  Miss  Winifred  Smith  for  her  groups  of 
children  and  quaint  feeling  ;  Mrs.  Arthur  Gaskin 
also  for  her  pretty  quaint  fancies  in  child-life  ; 
Miss  Mary  Newill  for  her  ornamental  rendering 
of  natural  landscape,  as  in  the  charming  drawing 
of  Porlock  ;  and  Miss  Celia  Levetus  for  her  deco- 
rative feeling.  It  may,  at  any  rate,  I  think  be 
claimed  for  it,  that  both  in  method,  sentiment,  and 
subject,  it  is  peculiarly  English,  and  represents  a 
sincere  attempt  to  apply  what  may  be  called  tra- 
ditional principles  in  decoration  to  book  illustration. 

Among  the  recent  influences  tending  to  foster 
the  feeling  for  the  treatment  of  black  and  white 
design  and  book  illustrations,  primarily  from  the 
decorative  point  of  view,  the  Arts  and  Crafts 
Exhibition  Society  may  claim  to  have  had  some 
share,  and  they  have  endeavoured,  by  the  tendency 
of  the  work  selected  for  exhibition  as  well  as  by 
papers  and  lectures  by  various  members  on  this 
point,  to  emphasize  its  importance  and  to  spread 

207 


ILLUSTRATION  AND   DECORATION, 
clear  principles,   even  at   the   risk   of  appearing 
partial  and  biased  in  one  direction,  and   leaving 
many  clever  artists  in  black  and  white  unrepre- 
sented. 

Now  for  graphic  ability,  originality,  and  variety, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  vigour  of  our  modern 
black  and  white  artists.  It  is  the  most  vital  and 
really  popular  form  of  art  at  the  present  day,  and 
it,  far  more  than  painting,  deals  with  the  actual 
life  of  the  people ;  it  is,  too,  thoroughly  demo- 
cratic in  its  appeal,  and,  associated  with  the  news- 
paper and  magazine,  goes  everywhere — at  least,  as 
far  as  there  are  shillings  and  pence — and  where 
often  no  other  form  of  art  is  accessible. 

But  graphic  power  and  original  point  of  view  is 
not  always  associated  with  the  decorous  ornamental 
sense.  It  is,  in  fact,  often  its  very  antithesis, 
although,  on  the  other  hand,  good  graphic  draw- 
ing, governed  by  a  sense  of  style  to  which  economy 
or  simplicity  of  line  often  leads,  has  ornamental 
quality. 

I  should  say  at  once  that  sincere  graphic  or 
naturalistic  drawing,  with  individual  character  and 
style,  is  always  preferable  to  merely  lifeless,  purely 
imitative,  and  tame  repetition  in  so-called  decora- 
tive work. 

While  I  claim  that  certain  decorative  considera- 
tions such  as  plan,  scale  balance,  proportion, 
quantity,  relation  to  type,  are  essential  to  really 
beautiful  book  illustration,  I  do  not  in  the  least 
wish  to  ignore  the  clever  work  of  many  contem- 
porary illustrators  because  they  only  care  to  be 
illustrators  pure  and  simple,  and  prefer  to  consider 
a  page  of  paper,  or  any  part  of  it  unoccupied  by 

208 


HENRY  PAYNE. 


FROM    iCA   BOOK   OF  CAROLS." 
209 


(ALLEN,  1893.) 
p 


R  MASON. 


FROM   "  HUON  OF  BORDEAUX. 


21  I 


(ALLEN,  1895.) 


X 


4 


DECORATIVE  PRINCIPLES. 

type,  as  a  fair  field  for  a  graphic  sketch,  with  no 
more  consideration  for  its  relation  to  the  page 
itself  or  the  rest  of  the  book,  than  an  artist  usually 
feels  when 
he  jots  down 

something  

~  JOE 

BURROUGHS 
HIS  BOOK,* 


CELIA   LEVETUS. 


from  life  in 
his  sketch- 
book. 

I  think 
that  book 
illustration 
should  be 
something 
more  than  a 
collection  of 
accidental 
sketches. 
Since  one 
cannot  ig- 
nore the 
constructive 
organic  ele- 
ment in  the 
formation  — 
the  idea  of 
the  book  it- 
self —  it  is  so  far  inartistic  to  leave  it  out  of 
account  in  designing  work  intended  to  form  an 
essential  or  integral  part  of  that  book. 

I  do  not,  however,  venture  to  assert  that  decora- 
tive illustration  can  only  be  done  in  one  way — if 
so,  there  would  be  an  end  in  that  direction  to 
originality  or  individual  feeling.  There  is  nothing 

217 


A   BOOKPLATE. 


THE   DIAL. 

absolute  in  art,  and  one  cannot  dogmatize,  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  in  all  designs  certain  conditions 
must  be  acknowledged,  and  not  only  acknowledged 
but  accepted  freely,  just  as  one  would  accept  the 
rules  of  a  game  before  attempting  to  play  it. 

The  rules,  the  conditions  of  a  sport  or  game, 
give  it  its  own  peculiar  character  and  charm,  and 
by  means  of  them  the  greatest  amount  of  pleasure 
and  keenest  excitement  is  obtained  in  the  long  run, 
just  as  by  observing  the  conditions,  the  limita- 
tions of  an  art  or  handicraft,  we  shall  extract  the 
greatest  amount  of  pleasure  for  the  worker  and 
beauty  for  the  beholder. 

Many  remarkable  designers  in  black  and  white  of 
individuality  and  distinction,  and  with  more  or  less 
strong  feeling  for  decorative  treatment,  have  arisen 
during  the  last  few  years.  Among  these  ought  to  be 
named  Messrs.  Ricketts  and  Shannon,  whose  joint 
work  upon  "  The  Dial  "  is  sufficiently  well  known. 
They,  too,  have  taken  up  printing  as  an  art,  Mr. 
Ricketts  having  designed  his  own  type  and  en- 
graved his  own  drawings  on  wood.  They  are 
excellent  craftsmen  as  well  as  inventive  and 
original  artists  of  remarkable  cultivation,  imagina- 
tive feeling  and  taste.  There  is  a  certain  suggestion 
of  inspiration  from  William  Blake  in  Mr.  Shannon 
sometimes,  and  of  German  or  Italian  fifteenth 
century  woodcuts  in  the  work  of  Mr.  Ricketts. 
The  weird  designs  of  Mr.  Reginald  Savage  should 
also  be  noted,  as  well  as  the  charming  woodcuts 
of  Mr.  Sturge  Moore. 

Another  very  remarkable  designer  in  black  and 
white  is  Mr.  Aubrey  Beardsley.  His  work  shows  a 
delicate  sense  of  line,  and  a  bold  decorative  use  of 

218 


C  S.  RICKETTS. 


HERO  AND  LEANDER  *<£>  BY 
HRISTOPHfER   MARLOWE 
AND 
GEORGE  CHAPMAN 


description  and  her  love's; 
The  fane  of  Venus  where  he  moves 
His  worthy  love-suit,  and  attains; 
Whose  bliss  the  wrath  of  Fates  restrains 
For  Cupid's  grace  to  Mercury : 
Which  tale  the  author  doth  iniply. 


FROM    "HERO   AND   LEANDER. 


(THE  VALE  PRESS.) 


THE  STUDIO. 

solid  blacks,  as  well  as  an  extraordinarily  weird 
fancy  and  grotesque  imagination,  which  seems 
occasionally  inclined  to  run  in  a  morbid  direction. 
Although,  as  in  the  case  of  most  artists,  one  can 
trace  certain  influences  which  have  helped  in  the 
formation  of  their  style,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of 
his  individuality  and  power.  The  designs  for  the 
work  by  which  Mr.  Beardsley  became  first  known,  I 
believe,  the  "  Morte  d'Arthur,"  alone  are  sufficient 
to  show  this.  There  appears  to  be  a  strong 
mediaeval  decorative  feeling,  mixed  with  a  curious 
weird  Japanese-like  spirit  of  diablerie  and  grotesque, 
as  of  the  opium-dream,  about  his  work ;  but  con- 
sidered as  book-decoration,  though  it  is  effective, 
the  general  abstract  treatment  of  line,  and  the  use 
of  large  masses  of  black  and  white,  rather  suggest 
designs  intended  to  be  carried  out  in  some  other 
material,  such  as  inlay  or  enamel,  for  instance,  in 
which  they  would  gain  the  charm  of  beautiful 
surface  and  material,  and  doubtless  look  very  well. 
Mr.  Beardsley  shows  different  influences  in  his 
later  work  in  the  "  Savoy,"  some  of  which  sug- 
gests a  study  of  eighteenth  century  designers, 
such  as  Callot  or  Hogarth,  and  old  English 
mezzotints. 

"  The  Studio,"  which,  while  under  the  able  and 
sympathetic  editorship  of  Mr.  Gleeson  White,  first 
called  attention  (by  the  medium  of  Mr.  Pennell's 
pen)  to  Mr.  Beardsley 's  work,  has  done  good 
service  in  illustrating  the  progress  of  decorative 
art,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  has  from  time 
to  time  introduced  several  young  artists  whose 
designs  have  thus  become  known  to  the  public  for 
the  first  time,  such  as  Mr.  Patten  Wilson,  Mr. 

221 


CONTEMPORARY  ILLUSTRATORS. 
Laurence  Housman,  Mr.  Fairfax  Muckley,  and 
Mr.  Charles  Robinson,  who  all  have  their  own 
distinctive  feeling  :  the  first  for  bold  line  drawings 
after  the  old  German  method  with  an  abundance 
of  detail ;  the  second  for  remarkable  taste  in 
ornament,  and  a  humorous  and  poetic  fancy ;  the 
third  for  a  very  graceful  feeling  for  line  and  the 
decorative  use  of  black  and  white — especially  in 
the  treatment  of  trees  and  branch  work,  leaves  and 
flowers  associated  with  figures. 

Mr.  J.  D.  Batten  has  distinguished  himself  for 
some  years  past  as  an  inventive  illustrator  of  Fairy 
Tales.  In  his  designs,  perhaps,  he  shows  more  of 
the  feeling  of  the  story-teller  than  the  decorator 
in  line,  on  the  whole ;  his  feeling  as  a  painter, 
perhaps,  not  making  him  quite  content  with  simple 
black  and  white ;  and,  certainly,  his  charming  tem- 
pera picture  of  the  sleeping  maid  and  the  dwarfs, 
and  his  excellent  printed  picture  of  Eve  and  the 
serpent,  printed  by  Mr.  Fletcher  in  the  Japanese 
method,  might  well  excuse  him  if  that  is  the 
case. 

Mr.  Henry  Ford  is  another  artist  who  has 
devoted  himself  with  much  success  to  Fairy  Tale 
pictures  in  black  and  white,  being  associated  with 
the  fairy  books  of  many  different  colours  issued 
under  the  fairy  godfather's  wand  (or  pen)  of  Mr. 
Andrew  Lang.  He,  too,  I  think  perhaps,  cares 
more  for  the  "  epic  "  than  the  "  ornamental "  side 
of  illustration ;  he  generally  shows  a  pretty  poetical 
fancy. 

At  the  head,  perhaps,  of  the  newer  school  of 
decorative  illustrators  ought  to  be  named  Mr. 
Robert  Anning  Bell,  whose  taste  and  feeling  for 

222 


CONTEMPORARY  ILLUSTRATORS, 
style  alone  gives  him  a  distinctive  place.  He  has 
evidently  studied  the  early  printers  and  book- 
decorators  in  outline  of  Venice  and  Florence  to 
some  purpose ;  by  no  means  merely  imitatively, 
but  with  his  own  type  of  figure  and  face,  and 
fresh  natural  impressions,  observes  with  much  taste 

CHARLES   RICKETTS. 


FROM  "DAPHNIS  AND  CHLOE." 


(THE  VALE  PRESS.) 


and  feeling  for  beauty  the  limitations  and  decora- 
tive suggestions  in  the  relations  of  line-drawing 
and  typography.  Many  of  his  designs  to  "  The 
Midsummer  Night's  Dream"  are  delightful  both 
as  drawings  and  as  decorative  illustrations. 

The  newest  book   illustrator  is   perhaps    Mr. 
223 


CONTEMPORARY  ILLUSTRATORS. 
Charles  Robinson,  whose  work  appears  to  be  full 
of  invention,  though  I  have  not  yet  had  sufficient 
opportunities  of  doing  it  justice.    He  shows  quaint 
and  sometimes  weird  fancy,  a  love  of  fantastic 

C.  H.  SHANNON. 


FROM    "DAPHNIS   AND   CHLOE. 


(THE  VALE  PRESS.) 


architecture,  and  is  not  afraid  of  outline  and  large 
white  spaces. 

Mr.  R.  Spence  shows  considerable  vigour  and 
originality.  He  distinguished  himself  first  by 
some  pen  drawings  which  won  the  gold  medal  at 

224 


AUBREY  BEARDSLEY, 


FROM  THE  "MORTE  D'ARTHUR." 


225 


(j.   M.   DENT  AND  CO.) 
Q 


THE   EVERGREEN. 

the  National  Competitions  at  South  Kensington, 
in  which  a  romantic  feeling  and  dramatic  force  was 
shown  in  designs  of  mediaeval  battles,  expressed  in 
forcible  way,  consistent  with  good  line  and  effect  in 
black  and  white.  His  design  of  the  Legend  of 
AUBREY  BEARDSLEY.  St.  Cuthbert  in  "  The 

Quarto  "  is  perhaps  the 
most  striking  thing  he  has 
done.  I  am  enabled  to 
print  one  of  his  charac- 
teristic designs  of  battles. 

Mr.   A.  ' 
tinguished 
the     same 
Spence 


in 


[ones  also  dis- 
himself    about 
time    as     Mr. 
the     National 
Competition,    and    showed 
some  dramatic  and  roman- 
tic   feeling.       The   design 
given  shows  a  more  orna- 
mental side. 

Mr.  William  Strang,  who 
has  made  his  mark  in  etch- 
ing as  a  medium  for  designs 
full  of  strong  character 
and  weird  imagination,  also 
shows  in  his  processed  pen 
drawings  vigorous  line  and  perception  of  decora- 
tive value,  as  in  the  designs  to  "  Munchausen," 
two  of  which  are  here  reproduced. 

The  publication  of  "  The  Evergreen  "  by  Patrick 
Geddes  and  his  colleagues  at  Edinburgh  has 
introduced  several  black  and  white  designers  of 
force  and  character — Mr.  Robert  Burns  and  Mr. 
John  Duncan,  for  instance,  more  particularly 

226 


FROM  THE  "MORTE 
D'ARTHUR."  (DENT.) 


CONTEMPORARY  ILLUSTRATORS, 
distinguishing  themselves  for  decorative  treatment 
in  which  one  may  see  the  influences  of  much  fresh 
inspiration  from  Nature. 

Miss  Mary  Sargant  Florence  shows  power  and 
decorative  feel-  AUBREY  BEARDSLEY. 

ing  in  her  out- 
line designs  to 
"  The  Crystal 
Ball."  Mr. 
Granville  Fell 
must  be  named 
among  the  new- 
er school  of  de- 
corative illus- 
trators; and  Mr. 
Paul  Wood- 
roffe,  who  also 
shows  much 
facility  of  de- 
sign and  feeling 
for  old  English 
life  in  his  books 
of  Nursery 
Rhymes;  his  re- 
cent work  shows 
much  refine- 
ment of  drawing 
and  feeling  FROM  THE  "MORTE  D'ARTHUR."  (DENT.) 

Miss  Alice  B.  Woodward  ought  also  to  be 
named  for  her  clever  treatment  of  mediaeval  life 
in  black  and  white. 

More  recently,  perhaps  the  most  remarkable 
work  in  book  illustration  has  been  that  of 
Mr.  E.  J.  Sullivan,  whose  powerful  designs  to 

227 


CONTEMPORARY   ILLUSTRATORS. 

Carlyle's   "  Sartor  Resartus  "  are  full  of  vigour 

and  character. 

Force  and  character,  again,  seem  the  leading 
qualities  in  the  striking  work  of  another  of  our 
recent  designers  in  black  and  white,  Mr.  Nicholson, 
who  also  engraves  his  own  work. 

EDMUND  J.  SULLIVAN. 


FROM    "SARTOR    RESARTUS."  (BELL.) 

Mr.  Gordon  Craig  adds  printing  to  the  crafts 
of  black  and  white  design  and  engraving,  and  has 
a  distinctive  feeling  of  his  own. 

The  revival  in  England  of  decorative  art  of  all 
kinds  during  the  last  five  and  twenty  years, 
culminating  as  it  appears  to  be  doing  in  book- 
design,  has  not  escaped  the  eyes  of  observant  and 

228 


PATTEN  WILSON. 


FROM   THE   PEN   DRAWING. 


229 


LAURENCE   HOUSMAN. 


THE  HOUSE 
OF  JOY 


By  LAURENCE 

HOUSMAN 
LONDON : KLGAN  PAUL 
TfcENCHT«UaNER  &  Q) 


L.  FAIRFAX  MUCKLEY. 


(ELKIN  MATHEWS.) 
233 


CHARLES  ROBINSON. 


FROM  "A  CHILD'S  GARDEN  OF  VERSE." 

235 


(LANE,  1895.) 


CHARLES  ROBINSON. 


FROM  "A  CHILD'S  GARDEN  OF  VERSE."          (LANE,  1895.) 
237 


CHARLES   ROBINSON. 


FROM  A  "CHILD'S  GARDEN  OF  VERSE."  (LANE,  1895.) 

239 


BELGIUM. 

sympathetic  artists  and  writers  upon  the  Continent. 
The  work  of  English  artists  of  this  kind  has  been 
exhibited  in  Germany,  in  Holland,  in  Belgium  and 
France,  and  has  met  with  remarkable  appreciation 
and  sympathy. 

In  Belgium,  particularly,  where  there  appears  to 
be  a  somewhat  similar  movement  in  art,  the  work 


J.  D.  BATTEN. 


FROM    "THE  ARABIAN   NIGHTS."  (j.    M.    DENT   AND   CO.) 

of  the  newer  school  of  English  designers  has 
awakened  the  greatest  interest.  The  fact  that  M. 
Oliver  Georges  Destr6e  has  made  sympathetic 
literary  studies  of  the  English  pre-Raphaelites  and 
their  successors,  is  an  indication  of  this.  The 
exhibitions  of  the  "  XXe  Siecle,"  "La  libre 
-#Lsthetique,"  at  Brussels  and  Liege,  are  also 
evidence  of  the  repute  in  which  English  designers 
are  held. 

241  R 


THE  CONTINENT. 

In  Holland,  too,  a  special  collection  of  the  de- 
signs of  English  book  illustrators  has  been  ex- 
hibited at  the  Hague  and  other  towns  under  the 
auspices  of  M.  Loffelt. 

At  Paris,  also,  the  critics  and  writers  on  art  have 

J.  D.  BATTEN. 


£&^"  \^' 

^•f.^^:v^^^*: 
FROM    "THE   ARABIAN   NIGHTS."        (j.  M.  DENT   AND  CO.) 

been  busy  in  the  various  journals  giving  an 
account  of  the  Arts  and  Crafts  movement,  the 
Kelmscott  Press,  and  the  school  of  English  book- 
decorators  in  black  and  white,  and  the  recent 
exhibitions  of  "  L'Art  Nouveau  "  and  "  Le  Livre 

242 


R.  ANNING   BELL. 


FROM    "A  MIDSUMMER    NIGHT'S   DREAM." 

(j.    M.    DENT   AND   CO.,   1895.) 


R.  ANNING  BELL. 


FROM  "BEAUTY  AND  THE  BEAST." 

(j.    M.   DENT   AND   CO.,    1894.) 

245 


ALFRED   JONES. 


THE  TOURNAMENT  OF  LOVE 

A  PASTORAL  MASQUE 

IN  ONE  ACT 

BY 

WILLIAM  THEODORE 
PETERS 

WITH   DRAWINGS  BY   ALFRED  JONES 


PARIS 

BRENT ANO'S     37,    AVENUE     DE   I/OPERA 

MDCCCXCIV 


A   TITLE-PAGE. 


249 


WILLIAM   STRANG 


FROM  "BARON  MUNCHAUSEN."  (LAWRENCE  AND  BULLEN.) 

251      • 


THE   CONTINENT. 

Moderne"  at  Paris  are  further  evidence  of  the 
interest  taken  there  in  English  art. 

Without  any  vain  boasting,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  whereas  most  artistic  movements  affect- 

WILLIAM  STRANG, 


FROM  "MUNCHAUSEN"  (LAWRENCE  AND  BULLEN). 

ing  England  are  commonly  supposed  to  have  been 
imported  from  the  Continent,  we  are  credited  at 
last  with  a  genuine  home  growth  in  artistic  develop- 
ment. Although,  regarded  in  the  large  sense, 
country  or  nationality  is  nothing  to  art  (being  at 
its  best  always  cosmopolitan  and  international) 

253 


H.  GRANVILLE  FELL. 


BELGIUM. 

yet  in  the  history  of  design,  national  and  local 
varieties,  racial  characteristics  and  local  develop- 
ments must 
always  have 
their  value 
and  historic 
interest. 

We  may, 
perhaps,  take 
it  as  a  sympa- 
thetic response 
to  English 
feelingj  the 
appearance  of 
such  books  as 
M.  Rijsselber- 
ghe's  Alma- 
nack, with  its 
charming  de- 
signs in  line, 
from  the  house 
of  Dietrich 
at  Brussels. 
M.  Fernand 
Knopff's  work, 
original  as  it 
is,  shows  sym- 
pathy with  the 
later  English 

FROM  "CINDERELLA."  (j.  M.  DENT  AND  CO.)    SCllOOlof  poetic 

and  decorative 

design  of  which  D.  G.  Rossetti  may  be  said  to 
have  been  the  father,  though  in  book-illustration 
proper  I  am  not  aware  that  he  has  done  much. 

254 


JOHN   DUNCAN. 


FROM  "THE  EVERGREEN."  (GEDDES  AND  co.,  1895.) 

255 


JOHN   DUNCAN. 


FROM  "THE  EVERGREEN."  (GEDDES  AND  CO.,    1895.) 

257  S 


ROBERT  BURNS. 


FROM  "THE  EVERGREEN."  (GEDDES  AND  co.,  1895.) 


MARY  SARGANT   FLORENCE. 


FROM  "THE  CRYSTAL  BALL."          (BELL,  1894.) 
261 


PAUL  WOODROFFE. 


FROM  "SECOND  BOOK  OF  NURSERY  RHYMES."     (GEORGE  ALLEN,  1896.) 

263 


GERMANY. 

la  Holland  in  black  and  white  design  there  is 
M.  G.  W.  Dijsselhof  and  M.  R.  N.  Roland  Hoist. 
In  Germany,  such  original  and  powerful  artists 
as  Josef  Sattler  and  Franz  Stuck;  the  former 
seemingly  inheriting  much  of  the  grim  and  stern 
humour  of  the  old  German  masters,  as  well  as 
their  feeling  for  character  and  treatment  of  line, 
while  his  own  personality  is  quite  distinct.  While 

PAUL  WOODROFFE. 


FROM  "NURSERY  RHYMES."  (BELL,  1895.) 

Sattler  is  distinctly  Gothic  in  sympathy,  Stuck 
seems  more  to  lean  to  the  pagan  or  classical  side, 
and  his  centaurs  and  graces  are  drawn  with  much 
feeling  and  character.  We  have  already  mentioned 
the  "  Munich  Calendar,"  designed  by  Otto  Hupp, 
which  is  well  known  for  the  vigour  and  spirit  with 
which  the  artist  has  worked  after  th  e  old  German  man- 
ner, with  bold  treatment  of  heraldic  devices,  and  has 
effectively  used  colour  with  line  work.  The  name 
of  Seitz  appears  upon  some  effectively  designed 
allegorical  figures,  one  of  Gutenberg  at  his  press. 

265 


"JUGEND." 

"  Jugend,"  a  copiously  illustrated  journal  pub- 
lished at  Munich  by  Dr.  Hirth,  shows  that  there  are 
many  clever  artists  with  a  more  or  less  decorative 
aim  in  illustration,  which  in  others  seems  rather 
overgrown  with  grotesque  feeling  and  morbid 
extravagance,  but  there  is  an  abundance  of  ex- 
uberant life,  humour,  whimsical  fancy  and  spirit 
characteristic  of  South  Germany. 

M.   RIJSSELBERGHE. 


"Ver  Sacrum,"  the  journal  of  the  group  of  the 
"  Secession"  artists  of  Vienna,  gives  evidence  of 
considerable  daring  and  resource  in  black  and 
white  drawing,  though  mainly  of  an  impression- 
istic or  pictorial  aim. 

M.  Larisch,  of  Vienna,  has  distinguished  him- 
self by  his  works  upon  the  artistic  treatment  and 
spacing  of  letters  which  contain  examples  of  the 
work  of  different  artists  both  continental  and 
English. 

266 


GRASSET. 

French  artists  in  decoration  of  all  kinds  have 
been  so  largely  influenced  or  affected  by  the 
Japanese,  and  have  so  generally  approached  design 
from  the  impressionistic,  dramatic,  or  accidental- 
individualist  point  of  view,  that  the  somewhat 
severe  limits  imposed  by  a  careful  taste  in  all  art 
with  an  ornamental  purpose,  does  not  appear  to 
have  greatly  attracted  them.  At  all  times  it  would 
seem  that  the  dramatic  element  is  the  dominant 
one  in  French  art,  and  this,  though  of  course 
quite  reconcilable  with  the  ornament  instinct,  is 
seldom  found  perfectly  united  with  it,  and,  where 
present,  generally  gets  the  upper  hand.  The  older 
classical  or  Renaissance  ornamental  feeling  of 
designers  like  Galland  and  Puvis  de  Chavannes 
seems  to  be  dying  out,  and  the  modern  chic  and 
daring  of  a  Cheret  seems  to  be  more  characteristic 
of  the  moment. 

Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  among  the  newer  French 
School,  we  find  an  artist  of  such  careful  methods 
and  of  such  strong  decorative  instinct  as  Grasset, 
on  what  I  should  call  the  architectural  side  in 
contradistinction  to  the  impressionistic.  His  work, 
though  quite  characteristically  French  in  spirit 
and  sentiment,  is  much  more  akin  in  method  to 
our  English  decorative  school.  In  fact,  many  of 
Grasset's  designs  suggest  that  he  has  done  what 
our  men  have  done,  studied  the  art  of  the  middle 
ages  from  the  remains  in  his  own  country,  and 
grafted  upon  this  stock  the  equipment  and  senti- 
ment of  a  modern. 

In  his  book  illustrations  he  seems,  however,  so 
far  as  I  know,  to  lean  rather  towards  illustrations 
pure  and  simple,  rather  than  decoration,  and  ex- 

267 


LETTERING. 

hibits  great  archaeological  resource  as  well  as 
romantic  feeling  in  such  designs  as  those  to  "  Les 
Cinq  Fils  d'Aymon."  The  absence  of  book  deco- 
ration in  the  English  sense,  in  France,  however, 
may  be  due  to  the  want  of  beauty  or  artistic  feeling 
in  the  typographer's  part  of  the  work.  Modern 
French  type  has  generally  assumed  elongated  and 
meagre  forms  which  are  not  suggestive  of  rich 
decorative  effect,  and  do  not  combine  with  design  : 
nor,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  observe,  does 
there  seem  to  be  any  feeling  amongst  the  designers 
for  the  artistic  value  of  lettering,  or  any  serious 
attempt  to  cultivate  better  forms.  The  poster- 
artist,  to  whom  one  would  think,  being  essential  to 
his  work,  the  value  of  lettering  in  good  forms 
would  appeal,  generally  tears  the  roman  alphabet 
to  tatters,  or  uses  extremely  debased  and  ugly 
varieties. 

More  recently,  however,  French  designers  and 
printers  appear  to  be  giving  attention  to  the 
subject,  and  newly  designed  types  are  appearing ; 
one  firm  at  Paris  having  issued  a  fount  designed 
by  Eugene  Grasset. 

The  charming  designs  of  Boutet  de  Monvel 
should  be  named  as  among  the  most  distinctive 
of  modern  French  book  illustrations,  for  their 
careful  drawing  and  decorative  effect,  although, 
being  in  colours,  they  hardly  belong  to  the  same 
category  as  the  works  we  have  been  considering, 
and  the  relation  of  type  to  pictures  leaves  some- 
thing to  be  desired. 

A  respect  for  form  and  style  in  lettering,  is,  I 
take  it,  one  of  the  most  unmistakable  indications 
of  a  good  decorative  sense.  A  true  ornamental 

268 


LETTERING. 

instinct  can  produce  a  fine  ornamental  effect  by 
means  of  a  mass  of  good  type  or  MS.  lettering 

WALTER   CRANE. 


PEH5EFC5  -FAERIE- 


H-DL51GHS-BY- 
•  WALTER-  CR2VME- 


FROM  SPENSER'S  "FAERIE  QUEENE." 


(GEORGE  ALLEN,  1896.) 


alone  :  and  considered  as  accompaniments 
or  accessories  to  design  they  are  invalu- 
able, as  presenting  opportunites  of  con- 
trast or  recurrence  in  mass  or  line  to  other 
elements  in  the  composition.  To  the 
decorative  illustrator  of  books  they  are 
the  unit  or  primal  element  from  which 
he  starts. 

The  publication  at  Venice  of  "  L'Arte 
della  stampa  nel  Renascimento  Italiano 
Venezia,"  by  Ferd.  Ongania — a  series  of 
reproductions  of  woodcuts,  ornaments,  initials, 
title-pages,  etc.,  from  some  of  the  choicest  of  the 
books  of  the  early  Venetian  and  Florentine 

269 


ITALY. 

printers,  may  perhaps  be  taken  as  a  sign  of  the 
growth  of  a  similar  interest  in  book  decoration  in 
that  country,  unless,  like  other  works,  it  is  intended 
chiefly  for  the  foreign  visitor. 

A  sumptuously  printed  quarterly  on  Art,  which 
has  of  late  made  its  appearance  at  Rome,  "  II 
Convito,"  seems  to  show  an  interest  in  the  decora- 
tive side,  and  does  not  confine  its  note  on  illus- 
trations to  Italian  work,  but  gives  reproductions 
from  the  works  of  D.  G.  Rossetti,  and  from  Elihu 
Vedder's  designs  to  "  The  Rubaiyat  of  Omar 
Khayyam." 

Certainly  if  the  possession  of  untold  treasures 
of  endlessly  beautiful  invention  in  decorative  art, 
and  the  tradition  of  ancient  schools  tend  to  foster 
and  to  stimulate  original  effort,  one  would  think 
that  it  should  be  easier  for  Italian  artists  than 
those  of  other  countries  to  revive  something  of 
the  former  decorative  beauty  of  the  work  of  her 
printers  and  designers  in  the  days  of  Aldus  and 
Ratdolt,  of  the  Bellini  and  Botticelli. 

It  does  not  appear  to  be  enough,  however,  to 
possess  the  seed  merely  ;  or  else  one  might  say 
that  where  a  museum  is,  there  will  the  creative  art 
spring  also ;  it  is  necessary  to  have  the  soil  also ; 
to  plough  and  sow,  and  then  to  possess  our  souls 
in  patience  a  long  while  ere  the  new  crop  appears, 
and  ere  it  ripens  and  falls  to  our  sickle.  It  is 
only  another  way  of  saying,  that  art  is  the  outcome 
of  life,  not  of  death. 

Artists  may  take  motives  or  inspiration  from  the 
past,  or  from  the  present,  it  matters  not,  so  long 
as  their  work  has  life  and  beauty — so  long  as  it  is 
organic,  in  short. 

270 


HOWARD   PYLE. 


FROM    "OTTO   OF   THE   SILVER   HAND." 

271 


(SCRIBNER.) 


HOWARD  PYLE. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  the  movement  in 
Boston  among  a  group  of  cultured  young  men — 
Mr.  Lee  the  printer  and  his  colleagues — more  or 
less  inspired  by  "  The  Hobby  Horse  "  and  the 
Kelmscott  Press,  which  resulted  in  the  printing 
of  "  The  Knight  Errant." 

Some  years  before,  however,  Mr.  Howard  Pyle 
distinguished  himself  as  a  decorative  artist  in  book 
designs,  which  showed,  among  other  more  modern 

HOWARD   PYLE. 


FROM    "OTTO   OF   THE   SILVER   HAND. 


(SCRIBNER.) 


influences,  a  considerable  study  of  the  method  of 
Albert  Durer.  I  give  a  reproduction  which  sug- 
gests somewhat  the  effect  of  the  famous  copper- 
plate of  Erasmus.  He  sometimes  uses  a  lighter 
method,  such  as  is  shown  in  the  drawings  to 
"  The  One  Horse  Shay." 

Of  late  in  his  drawings  in  the  magazines,  Mr. 
Pyle  has  adopted  the  modern  wash  method,  or 
painting  in  black  and  white,  in  which,  however 
able  in  its  own  way,  it  is  distinctly  at  a  con- 

273  T 


"THE   INLAND   PRINTER." 

siderable    loss    of    individuality   and    decorative 

interest.1 

Another  artist   of  considerable  invention   and 


WILL.  H,  BRADLEY. 


A    COVER    DESIGN. 


(CHICAGO,  1894.) 


decorative     ability     has    recently     appeared     in 

1  I  am  informed  that  the  adoption  of  the  wash  method  is 
not  recent  with  Mr.  Pyle,  but  that  he  adapts  his  method  to  his 
matter.  This  does  not,  however,  affect  the  opinion  expressed 
as  to  the  relative  artistic  value  of  wash  and  line  work. 

274 


WILL.  H.  BRADLEY. 


PROSPECTUS    OF    "  BRADLEY   HIS    BOOK. 


(SPRINGFIELD,  MASS.,  1896.) 


WILL.  H.  BRADLEY. 


c  nan  BO  OK 


,    c;  aorned  with  a 


.Talcs.  His 
pictures  and 

which 


DESIGN    FOR    u  THE   CHAP-BOOK." 


(CHICAGO,  1895.) 


AMERICAN  ARTISTS. 

America,  Mr.  Will.  H.  Bradley,  whose  designs  for 
"The  Inland  Printer"  of  Chicago  are  remarkable 
for  careful  and  delicate  line-work,  and  effective 
treatment  of  black  and  white,  and  showing  the 
influence  of  the  newer  English  school  with  a 
Japanese  blend. 


278 


CHAPTER  V.  OF  GENERAL  PRIN- 
CIPLES IN  DESIGNING  BOOK  ORNA- 
MENTS AND  ILLUSTRATIONS:  CON- 
SIDERATIONS OF  ARRANGEMENT, 
SPACING,  AND  TREATMENT. 

|T  may  not  be  amiss  to  add  a  few 
words  as  a  kind  of  summary  of 
general  principles  to  which  we 
seem  to  be  naturally  led  by  the  line 
of  thought  I  have  been  pursuing 
on  this  subject  of  book  decoration. 
As  I  have  said,  there  is  nothing  final  or  absolute 
in  Design.  It  is  a  matter  of  continual  re-arrange- 
ment, re-adjustment,  and  modification  or  even 
transformation  of  certain  elements.  A  kind  of 
imaginative  chemistry  of  forms,  masses,  lines,  and 
quantities,  continually  evolving  new  combinations. 
But  each  artistic  problem  must  be  solved  on  its 
merits,  and  as  each  one  varies  and  presents  fresh 
questions,  it  follows  that  no  absolute  rules  or 
principles  can  be  laid  down  to  fit  particular  cases, 
although  as  the  result  of,  and  evolved  out  of, 
practice,  certain  general  guiding  principles  are 
valuable,  as  charts  and  compasses  by  which  the 
designer  can  to  a  certain  extent  direct  his 
course. 

To  begin  with,  the  enormous  variety  in  style, 
aim,  and  size  of  books,  makes  the  application  of 
definite  principles  difficult.  One  must  narrow  the 
problem  down  to  a  particular  book,  of  a  given 
character  and  size. 

Apart  from  the  necessarily  entirely  personal 
and  individual  questions  of  selection  of  subject, 
motive,  feeling  or  sentiment,  consider  the  conditions 

279 


GENERAL  PRINCIPLES. 

of  the  book-page.     Take  an  octavo  page — such  as 

one  of  those  of  this  volume. 

Although  we  may  take  the  open  book  with  the 
double-columns  as  the  page  proper,  in  treating  a 
book  for  illustration,  we  shall  be  called  upon 
sometimes  to  treat  them  as  single  pages.  But 
whether  single  or  double,  each  has  its  limits  in  the 
mass  of  type  forming  the  full  page  or  column 
which  gives  the  dimensions  of  the  designer's 
panel.  The  whole  or  any  part  of  this  panel  may  be 
occupied  by  design,  and  one  principle  of  procedure 
in  the  ornamental  treatment  of  a  book  is  to  con- 
sider any  of  the  territory  not  occupied  by  the  type 
as  a  fair  field  for  accompanying  or  terminating 
design — as,  for  instance,  at  the  ends  of  chapters, 
where  more  or  less  of  the  type  page  is  left  blank. 

Unless  we  are  designing  our  own  type,  or  draw- 
ing our  lettering  as  a  part  of  the  design,  the 
character  and  form  of  the  type  will  give  us  a  sort 
of  gauge  of  degree,  or  key,  to  start  with,  as  to  the 
force  of  the  black  and  white  effect  of  our  accom- 
panying designs  and  ornaments.  For  instance, 
one  would  generally  avoid  using  heavy  blacks  and 
thick  lines  with  a  light  open  kind  of  type,  or  light 
open  work  with  very  heavy  type.  (Even  here 
one  must  qualify,  however,  since  light  open  pen- 
work  has  a  fine  and  rich  effect  with  black  letters 
sometimes.) 

My  own  feeling — and  designing  must  always 
finally  be  a  question  of  individual  feeling — is  rather 
to  acknowledge  the  rectangular  character  of  the 
type  page  in  the  shape  of  the  design  ;  even  in  a 
vignette,  by  making  certain  lines  extend  to  the 
limits,  so  as  to  convey  a  feeling  of  rectangular 

280 


WALTER  CRANE. 


BOOK 

CAW 
X1L 


SACRED  hunger  of  ambitious  mindes, 
And  impotent  desire  of  men  to  raine  ! 
Whom  neither  dread  of  God,  that  devils  bindes, 
Nor  lawes  of  men,  that  common-weales  containe, 
Nor  bands  of  nature,  that  wilde  beastes  restraine, 
Can  keepe  from  outrage  and  from  doing  wrong, 


— — »— ^— •m**^^-*  *  o 

Where  they  may  hope  a  kingdome  to  obtaine  : 
No  faith  so  firme,  no  trust  can  be  so  strong, 
No  love  so  lasting  then,  that  may  enduren  long. 

Witnesse  may  Burbon  be ;  whom  all  the  bands 
Which  may  a  Knight  assure  had  surely  bound, 
Untill  the  love  of  Lordship  and  of  lands 
Made  him  become  most  faithless  and  unsound  : 
And  witnesse  be  Gerioneo  found, 
Who  for  like  cause  faire  Beige  did  oppresse, 
And  right  and  wrong  most  cruelly  confound : 
And  so  be  now  Grantorto,  who  no  lesse 
Then  all  the  rest  burst  out  to  all  outragiousnesse. 


FROM  SPENSER'S  "FAERIE  QUEENE." 

281 


(GEORGE  ALLEN,  1896.) 


WALTER  CRANE. 


FROM  SPENSER'S  "FAERIE  QUEENE." 

283 


(GEORGE  ALLEN,  1896.) 


WALTER   CRANE. 


rhacrth 

#ctframour  tiistrpat 
the  houssr  oTBugumnf, 
ttthrre  Zfoura  fipolilfB  arr 


SPENSER'S  "FAERIE  QUEENE." 


285 


(GEORGE  ALLEN,  1896.) 


OF  ENDPAPERS. 

control  and  compactness,  as  in  the  tail-piece  given 
here  from  "  The  Faerie  Queene." 

But  first,  if  one  may,  paradoxically,  begin  with 
"end  paper"  as  it  is  curiously  called,  there  is  the 
lining  of  the  book.  Here  the  problem  is  to  cover 
two  leaves  entirely  in  a  suggestive  and  agreeable, 
but  not  obtrusive  way.  One  way  is  to  design  a 
repeating  pattern  much  on  the  principle  of  a  small 
printed  textile,  or  miniature  wall-paper,  in  one  or 
more  colours.  Something  delicately  suggestive  of 
the  character  and  contents  of  the  book  is  in  place 
here,  but  nothing  that  competes  with  the  illustra- 
tions proper.  It  may  be  considered  as  a  kind  of 
quadrangle,  forecourt,  or  even  a  garden  or  grass 
plot  before  the  door. 

We  are  not  intended  to  linger  long  here,  but 
ought  to  get  some  hint  or  encouragement  to  go 
on  into  the  book.  The  arms  of  the  owner  (if  he 
is  fond  of  heraldry,  and  wants  to  remind  the 
potential  book  borrower  to  piously  return)  may 
appear  hereon — the  book-plate. 

If  we  are  to  be  playful  and  lavish,  if  the  book  is 
for  Christmastide  or  for  children,  we  may  catch  a 
sort  of  fleeting  butterfly  idea  on  the  fly-leaves 
before  we  are  brought  with  becoming,  though 
dignified  curiosity,  to  a  short  pause  at  the  half- 
title.  Having  read  this,  we  are  supposed  to  pass 
on  with  somewhat  bated  breath  until  we  come  to 
the  double  doors,  and  the  front  and  full  title  are 
disclosed  in  all  their  splendour. 

Even  here,  though,  the  whole  secret  of  the  book 
should  not  be  let  out,  but  rather  played  with  or 
suggested  in  a  symbolic  way,  especially  in  any 
ornament  on  the  title-page,  in  which  the  lettering 

287 


OF  FRONTISPIECES  AND  TITLE  PAGES, 
should  be  the  chief  ornamental  feature.    A  frontis- 
y  piece  may  be  more  pictorial  in  treatment  if  desired, 

and  it  is  reasonable  to  occupy  the  wKole  of  tfce 
type  page  both  for  the  lettering  of  title  and  "the 
picture  in  the  front;  then,  if  richness  of  effect  is 
desired,  the  margin  may  be  covered  also  almost  to 
the  edge  of  the  paper  by  inclosing  borders,  the 
width  of  these  borders  varying  according  to  the 
varying  width  of  the  paper  margin,  and  in  the 
same  proportions,  recto  and  verso  as  the  case  may 
be,  the  broad  side  turning  outwards  to  the  edge  of 
the  book  each  way. 

This  is  a  plan  adopted  in  the  opening  of  the 
Kelmscott  books,  of  which  that  of  "  The  Glittering 
Plain,"  given  here,  may  be  taken  as  a  type. 
Though  Mr.  Morris  places  his  title  page  on  the 
left  to  face  the  opening  of  first  chapter,  and  does 
not  use  a  frontispiece,  he  obtains  a  remarkably 
rich  and  varied  effect  of  black  and  white  in  his 
larger  title  pages  by  placing  in  his  centre  panel 
strong  black  Gothic  letters ;  or,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Kelmscott  Chaucer,  letters  in  white  relief  upon 
a  floral  arabesque  adapted  to  the  space,  and  filling 
the  field  with  a  lighter  floral  network  in  open  line, 
and  enclosing  this  again  with  the  rich  black  and 
white  marginal  border. 

If  I  may  refer  again  to  my  own  work,  in  the 
designs  to  "The  Faerie  Queene"  the  full-page  de- 
signs are  all  treated  as  panels  of  figure  design,  or 
pictures,  and  are  enclosed  in  fanciful  borders,  in 
which  subsidiary  incidents  of  characters  of  the 
poem  are  introduced  or  suggested,  somewhat  on 
the  plan  of  mediaeval  tapestries.  A  reduction  of 
one  of  these  is  given  above. 

288 


u 


FROM  "THE  STORY  OF  THE  GLITTERING  PLAIN.' 


WILLIAM    MORRIS  AND  WALTER  CRANE. 


Chapter  I;  Of  thoec  Chrce  who  came  unto  ftallblithe 
to  the  fiouee  of  the  Raven/fc# 

been  told  that  there  wae  once 


m  young  man  of  free  kindred  and  whose 
namewa9naUblitbe:bewa9fair,8trong, 
and  not  untried  in  battle ;  he  was  of  the 
House  of  the  Raven  of  oldtime^Chts 


(KELMSCOTT  PRESS,  1894.) 


OF  OUTLINE  AND   BORDERS. 

A  full-page  design  may,  thus  inclosed  and 
separated  from  the  type  pages,  bear  carrying 
considerably  further,  and  be  more  realized  and 
stronger  in  effect  than  the  ornaments  of  the  type 
page,  just  as  in  the  illuminated  MSS.  highly 
wrought  miniatures  were  worked  into  inclosing 
borders  on  the  centres  of  large  initial  letters,  which 
formed  a  broad  framework,  branching  into  light 
floral  scroll  or  leaves  upon  the  margin  and  uniting 
with  the  lettering. 

Much  depends  upon  the  decorative  scheme. 
With  appropriate  type,  a  charming,  simple,  and 
broad  effect  can  be  obtained  by  using  outline  alone, 
both  for  the  figure  designs  or  pictures,  and  the 
ornament  proper. 

The  famous  designs  of  the  "Hypnerotomachia 
Poliphili,"  1499,  may  be  taken  as  an  instance  of 
this  treatment ;  also  the  "  Fasciculus  Medicinae," 
1495,  '^sop's  Fables,"  1493,  and  other  books  of 
the  Venetian  printers  of  about  this  date  or  earlier, 
which  are  generally  remarkable  for  fine  quality  of 
their  outline  and  the  refinement  and  grace  of  their 
ornaments. 

One  of  the  most  effective  black  and  white  page 
borders  of  a  purely  ornamental  kind  is  one  dated 
1478,  inclosing  a  page  of  Roman  type,  (see  illus- 
tration, Venice,  1478,  Pomponius  Mela).  A 
meandering  arabesque  of  a  rose-stem  leaf  and 
flower,  white  on  a  black  ground,  springing  from  a 
circle  in  the  broad  margin  at  the  bottom,  in  which 
are  two  shields  of  arms.  A  tolerably  well  known 
but  most  valuable  example. 

The  opening  chapter  of  a  book  affords  an 
opportunity  to  the  designer  of  producing  a  decora- 

293 


OF  DESIGNING  TYPE. 

tive  effect  by  uniting  ornament  with  type.  He  can 
place  figure  design  in  a  frieze-shaped  panel  (say 
of  about  a  fourth  of  the  page)  for  the  heading,  and 
weight  it  by  a  bold  initial  letter  designed  in  a 
square,  from  which  may  spring  the  stem  and 
Jeaves  of  an  arabesque  throwing  the  letter  into 
relief,  and  perhaps  climbing  up  and  down  the 
margin,  and  connecting  the  heading  with  the 
initial.  The  initialed  page  from  "  The  Faerie 
Queene"  is  given  as  an  example  of  such  treat- 
ment. The  title,  or  any  chapter  inscription,  if 
embodied  in  the  design  of  the  heading,  has  a 
good  effect. 

Harmony  between  type  and  illustration  and 
ornament  can  never,  of  course,  be  quite  so  com- 
plete as  when  the  lettering  is  designed  and  drawn 
as  a  part  of  the  whole,  unless  the  type  is  designed 
by  the  artist.  It  entails  an  amount  of  careful  and 
patient  labour  (unless  the  inscriptions  are  very 
brief)  few  would  be  prepared  to  face,  and  would 
mean,  practically,  a  return  to  the  principle  of  the 
block  book. 

Even  in  these  days,  however,  books  have  been 
entirely  produced  by  hand,  and,  for  that  matter,  if 
beauty  were  the  sole  object,  we  could  not  do  better 
than  follow  the  methods  of  the  scribe,  illuminator, 
and  miniaturist  of  the  Middle  Ages.  But  the 
world  clamours  for  many  copies  (at  least  in  some 
cases),  and  the  artist  must  make  terms  with  the 
printing  press  if  he  desires  to  live.  It  would  be  a 
delightful  thing  if  every  book  were  different — a 
millennium  for  collectors  !  Perhaps,  too,  it  might 
be  a  wholesome  regulation  at  this  stage  if  authors 
were  to  qualify  as  scribes  (in  the  old  sense)  and 

294 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


KETHAM'S  "  FASCICULUS  MEDICINE."  (VENICE,  DE  GREGORIIS, 

I493-) 


ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


MMMHMi^BlHHMHMHB 

Pomponn  Mellf  Cofmograpbi  de 
(Ttu  orbis  fiber  primus.  Prooemium. 

Rbi's  (Icum  dicere  aggredior 
impeditu  m  opus  &  facundie. 
minimecapax.Conftac  enim 
fere  gentium  locoruqj  nomu 
nibus:  &  com  perplexo  fan's 
ordine:quem  perfequi  long* 


cit  magisq  benigna  maten'a:  Ve^-  afpiaumen 
cognofa'xj  dignifli mi5 : 6c  quod  fi  no  ope  ingcnij 
orancis :  at  ipfa  fui  concern placion e  pretiu  oper§ 
attendenau  m  ab(bluac.Dicam  autem  alias  plura 
&  exactius:  Nuncauce  utqugcgeruncdariftima 
&  (Inclim;  ac  primo  quide  que,  (icforma  cocius : 
qus  maxime.  parces.quo  fingul?  modo  fine:  ut$ 
babicenc  expediam.  Deinde  rurfus  orasomniu 
&lictora  utintra  extta^funtratcjutearubit  ac 
ctrcu  ml  uj'c  pclagus:  addiis  qu§  i  nacura  regionu 
incolarucj  memoranda  funt.  Id  cjuo  faah us  fciri 
pflic  aco^aca'pi:  paulo  akius  fumma  repetecur. 
\p  ^j[  Mundt  in  quatcuof  parces  diui(?o. 
Mne  igit  hoc  quicqd  eftxut  mundi 
c§lic^  nomen  indidimus;unu  id  e(l: 
&  uno  ambicu  fe  cuctaqj  amplectic: 


POMPONIUS  MELA. 


(VENICE,  RATDOLT,  1478.) 


THE  DURER  ALPHABETS. 

write  out  their  own  works  in  beautiful  letters ! 
How  it  would  purify  literary  style ! 

There  is  no  doubt  that  great  attention  has  been 
given  to  the  formation  of  letters  by  designers  in 
the  past. 

Albrecht  Diirer,in  his  "Geometrica,"for  instance, 
gives  an  elaborate  system  for  drawing  the  Roman 
capitals,  and  certainly  produces  by  its  means  a 
fine  alphabet  in  that  type  of  letter,  apparently 
copied  from  ancient  Roman  inscriptions.  He 
does  the  same  for  the  black  letters  also.1 

For  the  Roman  capitals  he  takes  a  square,  and 
divides  it  into  four  equal  parts  for  the  A.  The 
horizontal  line  across  the  centre  gives  the  crossbar. 
The  sides  of  the  square  are  divided  into  eighths, 
and  one  eighth  is  measured  at  the  top  of  vertical 
dividing  line,  one  eighth  again  from  each  bottom 
corner  of  the  square  to  these  points,  the  limbs  of 
the  A,  are  drawn ;  the  up  stroke  and  cross-bar 
being  one-sixteenth,  the  down  stroke  being  one- 
eighth  of  the  square  in  thickness.  Circles  of  one- 
fourth  of  the  square  in  diameter  are  struck  at  the 
top  of  the  A  where  the  limbs  meet,  and  at  lower 
corners,  to  form  the  outside  serifs  of  the  feet,  the 
inside  serifs  being  formed  by  circles  of  one-sixteenth 
diameter ;  and  "so  the  A  is  complete.  Various 
sub-divisions  of  the  square  are  given  as  guides  in 
the  formation  of  the  other  letters  less  symmetrical, 
and  two  or  three  forms  are  given  of  some,  such  as 
the  O,  and  the  R,  Q,  and  S ;  but  the  same  pro- 
portions of  thick  and  thin  strokes  are  adhered  to, 
and  the  same  method  of  forming  the  serifs. 

1  Reproduced  in  "  Alphabets,"  by  E.  F.  Strange  (pp.  244- 
250),  Ex-Libris  Series.     Bell. 

299 


THE   DURER  ALPHABETS. 

For  the  black  letter  (lower  case  German)  text 
the  proportions  are  five  squares  for  the  short 
letters  i,  n,  m,  u,  the  space  between  the  strokes 
of  a  letter  like  u  being  one-third  the  thickness  of 
the  stroke,  the  top  and  bottom  one  being  covered 
with  one  square,  set  diamond- wise.  Eight  squares 
for  the  long  letters  1,  h,  b  ;  the  tops  cut  off  diago- 
nally, the  feet  turned  diamond-wise. 

This  is  interesting  as  showing  the  care  and 
sense  of  proportion  which  may  be  expended  upon 
the  formation  of  lettering.  It  also  gives  a  definite 
standard.  The  division  of  eighths  and  fourths  in 
the  Roman  capital  is  noteworthy,  too,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  eight-heads  standard  of  proportion 
for  the  human  body  ;  and  the  square  basis  reminds 
one  of  Vitruvius,  and  demonstration  of  the  in- 
closure  of  the  human  figure  with  limbs  in  exten- 
sion by  the  square  and  the  circle. 

Those  interested  in  the  history  of  the  form  of 
lettering  cannot  do  better  than  consult  Mr. 
Strange' s  book  on  "  Alphabets  "  in  this  series. 

It  might  be  possible  to  construct  an  actual 
theory  of  the  geometric  relation  of  figure  design, 
ornamental  forms,  and  the  forms  of  lettering,  text, 
or  type  upon  them,  but  we  are  more  concerned 
with  the  free  artistic  invention  for  the  absence  of 
which  no  geometric  rules  can  compensate.  The 
invention,  the  design,  comes  first  in  order,  the 
rules  and  principles  are  discovered  afterwards,  to 
confirm  and  establish  their  truth — would  that  they 
did  not  also  sometimes  crystallize  their  vitality  ! 

I  have  spoken  of  the  treatment  of  headings  and 
initials  at  the  opening  of  a  chapter.  In  deciding 
upon  such  an  arrangement  the  designer  is  more  or 

300 


OF  HEAD  AND  TAIL-PIECES, 
less  committed  to  carrying  it  out  throughout  the 
book,  and  would  do  well  to  make  his  ornamental 
spaces,  and  the  character,  treatment,  and  size  of  his 
initials  agree  in  the  corresponding  places.  This 
would  still  leave  plenty  of  room  for  variety  ol 
invention  in  the  details. 

The  next  variety  of  shape  in  which  he  might 
indulge  would  be  the  half-page,  generally  an  attrac- 
tive proportion  for  a  figure  design,  and  if  repeated 
on  the  opposite  page  or  column,  the  effect  of  a 
continuous  frieze  can  be  given,  which  is  very  useful 
where  a  procession  of  figures  is  concerned,  and 
the  slight  break  made  by  the  centre  margin  is  not 
objectionable. 

The  same  plan  may  be  adopted  when  it  is 
desired  to  carry  a  full-page  design  across,  or  meet 
it  by  a  corresponding  design  opposite. 

Then  we  come  to  the  space  at  the  end  of  the 
chapter.  For  my  part,  I  can  never  resist  the 
opportunity  for  a  tailpiece  if  it  is  to  be  a  fully  illus- 
tratedT  work,  though  some  would  let  it  severely 
alone,  or  be  glad  of  the  blank  space  to  rest  a  bit. 
I  think  this  lets  one  down  at  the  end  of  the  chapter 
too  suddenly.  The  blank,  the  silence,  seems  too 
dead  ;  one  would  be  glad  of  some  lingering  echo, 
some  recurring  thought  suggested  by  the  text ; 
and  here  is  the  designer's  opportunity.  It  is  a 
tight  place,  like  the  person  who  is  expected  to  say 
the  exactly  fit  thing  at  the  right  moment.  Neither 
too  much,  or  too  little.  A  quick  wit  and  a  light 
hand  will  serve  the  artist  in  good  stead  here. 

Page- terminations  or  tailpieces  may  of  course 
be  very  various  in  plan,  and  their  style  correspond 
with  or  be  a  variant  of  the  style  of  the  rest 

301 


OF  TAIL-PIECES. 

of  the  decorations  of  the  book.  Certain  types 
are  apt  to  recur,  but  while  the  bases  may  be 
similar,  the  superstructure  of  fancy  may  vary  as 
much  as  we  like.  There  is  what  I  should  call 
the  mouse-tail  termination,  formed  on  a  gradually 
diminishing  line,  starting  the  width  of  the  type, 
and  ending  in  a  point.  Printers  have  done  it  with 
dwindling  lines  of  type,  finishing  with  a  single 
word  or  an  aldine  leaf. 

Then  there  is  the  plan  of  boldly  shutting  the 
gate,  so  to  speak,  by  carrying  a  panel  of  design 
right  across,  or  filling  the  whole  of  the  remaining 
page.  This  is  more  in  the  nature  of  additional 
illustration  to  carry  on  the  story,  and  might  either 
be  a  narrow  frieze-like  strip,  or  a  half,  or  three- 
quarter  page  design  as  the  space  would  suggest. 

There  is  the  inverted  triangular  plan,  and  the 
shield  or  hatchment  form.  The  garland  or  the 
spray,  sprig,  leaf,  or  spot,  or  the  pen  flourish  glori- 
fied into  an  arabesque. 

The  medallion  form,  or  seal  shape,  too,  often 
lends  itself  appropriately  to  end  a  chapter  with, 
where  an  inclosed  figure  or  symbol  is  wanted. 
One  principle  in  designing  isolated  ornaments  is 
useful :  to  arrange  the  subject  so  that  its  edges 
shall  touch  a  graceful  boundary,  or  inclosing  shape, 
whether  the  boundary  is  actually  defined  by  in- 
closing lines  or  frame- work  or  not.  Floral,  leaf, 
and  escutcheon  shapes  are  generally  the  best,  but 
free,  not  rigidly  geometrical.  The  value  of  a 
certain  economy  of  line  can  hardly  be  too  much 
appreciated,  and  the  perception  of  the  necessity  of 
recurrence  of  line,  and  a  re-echoing  in  the  details 
of  leading  motives  in  line  and  mass.  It  is  largely 

302 


THE   END. 

upon  such  small  threads  that  decorative  success 
and  harmonious  effect  depend,  and  they  are  par- 
ticularly closely  connected  with  the  harmonious 
disposition  of  type  and  ornamental  illustration 
which  we  have  been  considering. 

It  would  be  easy  to  fill  volumes  with  elaborate 
analysis  of  existing  designs  from  this  point  of 
view,  but  designs,  to  those  who  feel  them,  ought 
to  speak  in  their  own  tongue  for  themselves  more 
forcibly  than  any  written  explanation  or  com- 
mentary; and,  though  of  making  of  many  books 
there  is  no  end,  every  book  must  have  its  end, 
even  though  that  end  to  the  writer,  at  least,  may 
seem  to  leave  one  but  at  the  beginning. 


303 


ARTHUR   HUGHES. 


FROM    "GOOD   WORDS    FOR   THE   YOUNG. 

304 


(STRAHAN,  1871.) 


NOTES  FOR  NEW  EDITION- 

Chap.  IV.  Of  the  Recent  Development,  etc., 
p.  189.  In  addition  to  the  names  of  the  modern 
printers  and  presses  mentioned  in  this  chapter 
must  now  be  added  those  of  several  workers  in 
the  field  of  artistic  printing  who  have  distinguished 
themselves  since  the  Kelmscott  Press. 

Mr.  Cobden  Sanderson  has  turned  from  the  out- 
side adornment  of  the  book  to  the  inside,  and,  in 
association  with  Mr.  Emery  Walker,  whose  tech- 
nical knowledge  and  taste  was  so  valuable  on  the 
Kelmscott  Press,  has  founded  "  The  Doves  Press  " 
at  Hammersmith,  and  has  issued  books  remark- 
able for  the  pure  severity  of  their  typography, 
founded  mainly  upon  Jenson. 

Mr.  St.  John  Hornby  also  must  be  named,  more 
particularly  for  his  revival  of  a  very  beautiful 
Italian  type  founded  upon  the  type  of  Sweynheim 
and  Pannartz,  the  first  printers  in  Italy.  The 
Greek  type  designed  by  the  late  Robert  Proctor, 
based  on  the  Alcala  fount  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment of  the  Complutensian  Polyglot  Bible  of  1 5 14, 
should  be  mentioned  as  the  only  modern  attempt 
to  improve  the  printing  of  Greek,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Mr.  Selwyn  Image's,  which  perhaps  suf- 
fered by  being  cut  very  small  to  suit  commercial 
exigences. 

Mr.  C.  R.  Ashbee,  too,  has  established  a  very 
extensive  printery,  "  The  Essex  House  Press," 
which  he  has  since  transplanted  to  Chipping  Cam- 
den.  H  e  had  the  assistance  of  several  of  the  workers 
from  the  Kelmscott  Press,  and  has  produced  many 
excellently  printed  books  of  late  years,  such  as  the 
Benvenuto  Cellini,  and  including  such  elaborate 
productions  as  Edward  VI.'s  Prayer  Book,  with 

305  x 


NOTES  FOR  NEW  EDITION. 

wood-engravings  and  initials  and  ornaments  as 

well  as  the  type  of  his  own  design. 

An  interesting  series  of  the  English  poets,  also, 
with  frontispieces  by  various  artists,  has  been  is- 
sued from  this  press. 

P.  218.  The  death  of  Aubrey  Beardsley  since 
the  notice  of  his  work  was  written  must  be  re- 
corded, and  it  would  seem  as  if  the  loss  of  this 
extraordinary  artist  marked  the  decadence  of  our 
modern  decadents. 

A  perhaps  equally  remarkable  designer,  however, 
whose  work  has  a  certain  kinship  in  some  features 
with  Beardsley's,  is  Mr.  James  Syme,  whose  work 
has  not  before  been  noticed  in  this  book.  He  has 
a  powerful  and  weird  imagination  associated  with 
grotesque  and  satirical  design,  and  considerable 
skill  in  the  use  of  line  and  black  and  white  effect. 

P.  267.  In  writing  of  book  illustrators  in  France, 
a  leading  place  should  be  given  to  M.  Boutet  de 
Monvel,  whose  delicate  drawing,  tasteful  colour- 
ing, and  sense  of  decorative  effect,  combined  with 
abundant  resource  in  variety  of  costume,  and  skil- 
ful treatment  of  crowds,  mediaeval  battle  scenes, 
and  ceremonial  groups  are  seen  to  full  advantage 
in  his  recent  "  Ste.  Jean  d'Arc,"  although  no  par- 
ticular relationship  between  illustration  and  type 
is  attempted. 

P.  268.  A  recent  proof  of  the  revival  of  taste 
in  book-decoration  and  artistic  printing  in  Italy  may 
be  referred  to  here  as  showing  the  influence  of  the 
English  movement.  I  mean  the  edition  of  Gabriele 
d'Annunzio's  "  Francesca  da  Rimini "  with  illus- 
trations or  rather  decorations  by  Adolphus  de 
Karolis,  printed  by  the  Fratelli  Treves  in  1902. 

306 


NOTES  FOR  NEW  EDITION. 

This  book  shows  unmistakable  signs  of  study  of 
recent  English  work,  as  well  as  of  the  early  print- 
ers of  Venice,  and  it  is  strange  to  think  how  some- 
times artists  of  one  country  may  come  back  to  an 
appreciation  of  a  particular  period  of  their  own 
historic  art  by  the  aid  of  foreign  spectacles. 
Among  the  original  designers  of  modern  Italy 
may  be  mentioned  G.  M.  Mataloni,  who  shows 
remarkable  powers  of  draughtsmanship  and  in- 
vention, largely  spent  upon  posters  and  ex-libris. 

Italy,  too,  has  an  able  critic  and  chronicler  of 
the  work  of  book-designers  of  all  countries  in  Sig. 
Vittorio  Pica  of  Naples,  whose  "  Attraverso  gli 
Albi  e  le  Cartelle"  (Istituto  Italiano  d'arti  gra- 
fiche  editore  Bergamo)  is  very  comprehensive. 

In  Vienna  Prof.  Larisch  recently  published  a 
book  of  Alphabets  designed  by  various  artists  of 
Europe;  Germany,  France,  Italy,  and  England 
being  represented.  The  group  of  Viennese  artists 
known  as  the  "  Secession  "  have  issued  "  Ver  Sac- 
rum," a  monthly  journal,  or  magazine,  giving 
original  designs  of  various  artists  more  or  less  in 
the  direction  of  book-decoration.  Latterly  the 
designs  offered  seemed  to  lose  themselves  either 
in  an  affectation  of  primitiveness  and  almost  infant- 
ine simplicity,  or  the  wildest  grotesqueness  and 
eccentricity. 


307 


APPENDIX. 


HEADPIECE   BY   ALAN   WRIGHT. 


I.     IRISH. 


V!TH  CENTURY. 


..  - 


BOOK   OF   KELLS. 


{Seepage  13. 


II.     ENGLISH. 


XIVTH  CENTURY. 


ARUNDEL    PSALTER,     1 339. 


[See  page  16. 


III.     ENGLISH. 


XIVTH  CENTURY. 


ARUNDEL    PSALTER,     1339. 


[See  page  16. 


IV.     ENGLISH. 


XIVxH  CENTURY. 


ARUNDEL    PSALTER, 


[See  page  16. 


V.     FRENCH. 


XIVxH  CENTURY. 


to  it  mi 

tcnteflc&ii  frur  Hot* 
)^ 


^•»V\     |«»\V    %*%V*r      I^B  '  ft 

auimofitenoBx'' 


la  gtaipt  fr  *ami  ^ov  mmtmtt  tti^|) 


EPISTLE  OF  PHILIPPE  DE  COMINES  TO  RICHARD  II.       [Seepage  23. 


VI.     FRENCH. 


XVxH  CENTURY. 


>""»  ^w»«r~"^*^5lU*Sf«*/!fc*l 

ittiitrtimmit 


BEDFORD    HOURS,    PAGE    OF    CALENDAR,    A.D.    1422. 

[See  page  23. 


VII.     FRENCH. 


XVxH  CENTURY. 


(isapiiunmsDo 
immtsilrfHScrnjHo&wmr 


,,.      ..,.r^  •••itsl>it   ..< 


BEDFORD    HOURS,    A.D.     1422. 


[Ste  page  23. 


VIII.     ENGLISH. 


LATE  XVTH  CENTURY. 


ROMANCE    OF    THE    ROSE. 


[.SV«r  /»/i^  29. 


IX.     ITALIAN. 


XVTH  CENTURY. 


INITIAL    LETTER,    CHOIR    BOOK,    SIENA    (1468 1472-3).       {Seepage  30. 


X.     JAPANESE. 


XIXTH  CENTURY. 


HOKUSAI. 


{See  page  163. 


XT.     JAPANESE. 


XIXTH  CENTURY. 


HOKUSAI. 


[See  page  163. 


INDEX. 


ABBEY,  Edwin,  166. 

dLsop's  Fables  (Venice,  1493), 

293- 

(Ulm,  1498),  53- 

(Naples,  1485),  55. 

"  Aglaia,"  cover  for,  154,  157. 
Alciati's  Emblems,  109. 
Aldus,  62,  63,  65,  108. 
Alphabet  (Diirer's),  299. 
Alphabets  (Bell,    1894),    299, 

300. 

Amman,  Jost,  96. 
American     Wood -engraving, 

148,  164. 
Andersen's  Fairy  Tales  (Allen, 

1893),  199- 

Anglo-Saxon  MSS.,  14,  et  seq. 
Apocalypse,  MS.,  i4th  Cent., 

19. 
Arabian  Nights  (Dent,  1893), 

241,  242. 

Arndes,  Steffen,  47. 
Art  in  the  House  (Macmillan, 

1876),  160,  162-165. 
Arts    and    Crafts   Exhibition 

Society,  207. 

Arundel  Psalter,  MS.,  16. 
Aulus,  Gellius  (Venice,  1509), 

73- 


Bamler,  15. 

Bateman,   Robert,   160,   162- 

165. 

Batten,  J.  D.,  222,  241,  242. 
Beardsley,  Aubrey,  218,  221, 

225,  226,  227. 
Beauty  and  the  Beast  (Dent, 

1894),  245. 
Bedford  Hours,  MS.,  23,   24, 

38. 


INDEX. 

Beham,     Hans     Sebald,    96, 

113- 

Bell,  R.A.,  222,  243,  245. 
Bellini,  Giovanni,  62,  69. 
Bernard,  Solomon,  no. 
Bewick,  Thomas,  140,  145. 
Bible  Cologne,  1480),  21. 

Liibeck,  1494),  47. 

Mainz,  1455),  49. 

Frankfort,     1563),    53, 

I3I- 
Bible  Cuts  (Holbein),  92,  95, 

96. 
Birmingham  School,  203,  204, 

207. 

Blake,  William,  136-139. 
Block  Books,  46. 
Blomfield,  Reginald,  207. 
Boccaccio's   De    Claris   Mu- 

lieribus  (Ulm,  1473),  7>  IJ  i 

(Ferrara,  1497),  54. 
Bonhomme,  no. 
Book  of  Carols  (Allen,  1893), 

209. 
Books  of  Hours,  23,  24,  38, 

54,  i°7- 

Borders,  204,  293. 
Bracebridge  Hall  (Macmillan, 

1877),  158. 
Bradley,   Gertrude    M.,   207, 

213. 
Will.  H.,  274,  275,  277, 

278. 

Brown,  Ford  Madox,  154. 
Buch  von  den  Sieben  Todsun- 

den  (Augsburg,  1474),  15. 
Burgmair,  Hans,  92,  95,  99, 

101,  103,  105. 

Burne-Jones,  Sir  Edward,  193. 
Burns,  Robert,  226,  259. 

Caesenas,  Stephanus,  59. 
Caldecott,  Randolph,  158. 


335 


INDEX. 

Calepinus,  Ambrosius,  121. 
Calvert,  Edward,  139-143. 
"Card-Basket     Style,"    The, 

165. 

Carroll,  Lewis,  154. 
Castle,  Egerton,  English  Book- 
plates, 185. 

Caxton,  William,  49,  80. 
Chaucer    (Kelmscott     Press, 

1896),  193,  288. 
Cheret,  M.,  267. 
Child's  Garden  of  Verse  (Lane, 

l895)>  235,  237,  239. 
Children's  Books,  154,  156. 
China,  Early  Printing  in,  164. 
Chiswick  Press,  The,  186. 
Chodowiecki,  D.,  136. 
Christ,  Life  of  ( Antwerp,  1487), 

3i- 
Chroneken  der  Sassen  (Mainz, 

1492),  41. 

Chronica    Hungaria     (Augs- 
burg, 1488),  35. 
Cinderella  (Dent,  1894),  254. 
Cinq  Fils  d'Aymon,  Les,  268. 
Clark,  R.  and  R.,  186. 
Columna,  Francisco,  79. 
Constable,  T.  and  A.,  186. 
Contes  Drolatiques,  150. 
"Convito,"  II,  270. 
Copper-plate  Engraving,  it 6, 

129,  130. 

"  Cornhill,"  The,  172. 
Cousin,  Jean,  79. 
Craig,  Gordon,  228. 
Cranach,  Lucas,  95. 
Crane,  Walter,  174,  179,  181, 

183,    191,    269,    281,   283, 

285,  288,  290,  291. 
Cremonese,  P.,  56. 
Crystal  Ball,  The  (Bell,  1894), 

227,  261. 


"Daily    Chronicle,"   Illustra- 
tions in  the,  165. 
Dalziel  Brothers,  The,  150. 
Dalziel's  Bible  Gallery,  152. 
Dance   of  Death   (Holbein's, 

1538),  9i»  92,  US- 
Daniel,  Rev.  H.,  of  Oxford, 

189. 
Dante,      Divina      Commedia 

MS.,  10. 

Dante  (Venice,  1491),  56. 
Daphnis    and     Chloe    (Vale 

Press,  1893),  223,  224. 
Davis,  Louis,  170,  171. 
Day,  Lewis,  166. 
De   Claris  Mulieribus  (Ulm, 

i473)>    7>     ii  ;     (Ferrara, 

1497),  54- 

De  Colines,  Simon,  127. 
De  Gregoriis,  59,  295. 
De  Historia  Stirpium  (Basel, 

1542),  119,  123. 
Descent     of    Minerva,     The 

(1508),  71. 
Destree,       Oliver      Georges, 

241. 

De  Vinne  Press,  The,  189. 
"  Dial,"  The,  218. 
Dictes    and    Sayings    of   the 

Philosophers  (1477),  80. 
Dijsselhof,  G.  W.,  265. 
Dinckmut,  Conrad,  27. 
Discovery  of  the   Indies,   The 

(Florence,  1493),  57. 
Dore,  Gustave,  149. 
Duff,  Gordon,  Early  Printed 

Books,  185. 

Duncan,  John,  226,  255,  257. 
Du  Pre",  54. 
Diirer,  Albrecht,  49,  80,  81, 

83,   85,   87,    89,    95;    his 

Geometric®,  294. 


336 


Early  Italian  Poets  (Smith, 
Elder,  1861),  152. 

Edgar,  King,  Newminster 
Charter,  14. 

Emblem  Books,  109,  no,  115, 
116. 

End-Papers,  285. 

"English  Illustrated  Maga- 
zine," The,  170,  171,  173, 

195- 

Evans,  Edmund,  156. 
"Evergreen,"  The,  226,  255, 

257,  259. 
"Ex-Libris  Series,"  The,  185. 


Fine,  Oronce,  91,  126,  127. 
Fasciculus  Medidna  (Venice, 

M95),  293. 

Fell,  H.  Granville,  227,  254. 
Feyrabend,  Sigm.,  131. 
Fior     di     Virtu     (Florence, 

i493?)>  58. 
Flach,  Martin,  108. 
Flaxman,  136. 
Flemish  School,  XVth  Cent., 

3i- 
Florence,  Mary  Sargant,  227, 

261. 

Ford,  Henry,  222. 
Formal    Garden,   The  (Mac- 

millan,  1892),  204,  205. 
Foster,  Birket,  150. 
France,    Modern    Illustration 

in,  267. 
Frangilla    (Elkin     Mathews, 

1895),  233- 
French  MSS.,  19,  37. 
French   School,  XVth  Cent., 

37,  51,  126,  127. 
Frontispieces,  286. 
Froschover,  120. 


INDEX. 

Fuchsius,   De  Historia   Stir- 
pium  (Basel,  1542),  1 19, 1 23. 

Gaskin,  Arthur,  199,  203. 

Mrs.,  203,  207. 

Georgius  de  Rusconibus,  69, 

75- 

Gerard's  Herbal,  120. 
Gere,     C.     M.,     195,     197, 

203. 
German  School,  XVth  Cent., 

3,  7,  11,  15,  17,  21,  25,  27, 

35>  39.  4i,  47,  53- 

XVIth   Cent.,   81-117, 

119,  131,  147. 

Germany,  Early  Printing   in," 
46,  49. 

Modern  Illustration  in, 

172,  265. 

Gesner,  Conrad,  120. 
Gilbert,  John,  150. 
Giolito,  G.,  133. 
Giovio's  Emblems,  116. 
Girolamo  da  Cremona,  30. 
Glittering  Plain,  The  (Kelm- 

scott  Press,  1894),  191,  288, 

289. 
Goblin    Market    (Macmillan, 

1862),  152. 
"  Good  Words  for  the  Young," 

3°4- 
Gospels,  The,  in  Latin,  MS., 

14. 

Grasset,  M.,  267,  268. 
Greenaway,  Kate,  158,  159. 
Grimani    Breviary,   The,   29, 

43,  45- 
Grimm's     Household     Stories 

(Macmillan,     1882),     174, 

179. 
Griin,  Hans  Baldung,  96, 107, 

108,  109,  no. 


337 


INDEX. 

Halberstadt   Bible,   The,   49, 

117. 

Hardouyn,  Gillet,  54,  107. 
Harvey,  William,  145. 
Herbals,  16,  119,  120. 
Hero  and  Leander  (Vale  Press, 

1894),  219. 
"Hobby   Horse,"   The,    186, 

270. 

Hogarth,  135. 
Hokusai,  163. 
Holbein,  Hans,  49,  80,  91,  92, 

93,  95>  96,  115- 

Ambrose,  92,  97. 

Holiday,  Henry,  154,  157. 
Holland,  Illustration  in,  242, 

265. 

Hoist,  R.  N.  Roland,  265. 
Home,  H.  P.,  186. 
Hortuhis  Ammce  (Strassburg, 

1511),  107,  108,  109,  no. 
Hortus      Sanitatis       (Mainz, 

I49i)i  39- 
House    of  Joy,    The    (Kegan 

Paul,  1895),  231. 
Housman,      Laurence,     222, 

231. 

Hughes,  Arthur,  159-161,  304. 
Hunt,  Holman,  150. 
Hunting  of  the   Snark,    The^ 

(Macmillan,  1876),  154. 
Huon    of   Bordeaux    (Allen, 

1895),  211. 
Hupp,  Otto,  174,  263. 


Illuminated  MSS.,  5-10  et  seq. 
Image,  Selwyn,  187,  189. 
Indulgences  (Mainz,  1454),  49. 
"  Inland  Printer,"  The,  278. 
Isingrin,    Palma,     108,     119, 
123. 


Italian  MSS.,  10,  30. 

Italian  School,   XVth  Cent., 


XVIth    Cent., 
67-78,  121,  133. 
Italy,  Modern  Illustration  in, 
268,  269. 


Japan.  Early  Printing  in,  163, 

164. 
Japanese     Illustration,     156- 

164. 

Jones,  A.  Garth,  226,  249. 
"Jugend,"  266. 

Keene,  Charles,  169,  172. 
Kells,  The  Book  of,  10,  13. 
Kelmscott  Press,  The,  189, 

190,193,194,288,290,291. 
Kerver,  Thielman,  54,  79,  107. 
King  Wenceslas,  203. 
Kleine   Passion,    Die  (1512), 

80,  81,  83,  85. 
"Knight  Errant,"  The  (Bos- 

ton), 189,  273. 
Knopff,  Fernand,  254. 
Kreuterbuch  (Strasburg,  1551), 

1  20. 

Larisch,  M.,  266. 
Lawless,  M.  J.,  172,  177. 
Leeu,  Gheraert,  31. 
Leiden      Christi      (Bamberg, 

1470),  3,  53- 

Leighton,  Sir  Frederic,  152. 
Lettering,  268. 
Levetus,  Celia,  207,  217. 
Liberale  da  Verona,  30. 
Linnell,  John,  140. 
Linton,  W.  J.,  146-149,  151. 
Liibeck  Bible,  The,  47. 


338 


Macdonald's  At  the  Back  of 
the  North  Wind  (Strahan, 
1871),  159-161. 

Mainz,  Early  Printing  at,  49. 

Indulgences,  The,  49. 

Psalter,  The,  50,  51. 

Margins,  194. 

Marks,  H.  S.,  156. 
Mason,  F.,  207,  211. 
Matthiolus,  120. 
Mazarine  Bible,  The,  49. 
Meerfahrt  zu  Viln  Onerkann- 

Unlnseln  (Augsburg,  1509), 

105. 

Meidenbach,  Jacob,  39. 
Menzel,  Adolf,  172. 
Mer  des  Histoires,  La,  MS., 

37- 

Midsummer  Nighfs  Dream^ 
A  (Dent,  1895),  223,  243. 

Millais,  Sir  J.  E.,  150. 

Milton's  Ode  on  Christ's  Na- 
tivity (Nisbet,  1867),  I55- 

Minuziano,  Alessandro,  67. 

Missals,  29. 

Monte  Santo  di  Dio,  El 
(Florence,  1477),  Ir9- 

Monvel,  Boutet  de,  268. 

Moore,  Albert,  154,  155. 

Moore,  Sturge,  218. 

Morris,  William,  189,  191, 
193,  194,  288,  290,  291. 

Morte  D 'Arthur  (Dent,  1893), 

221,   225,   227,   228. 

Mother  GWs?(Routledge),  159. 
Muckley,  L.  Fairfax,  222,  233. 
Munchausen,  Baron(  Lawrence 

and    Bullen,     1894),    226, 

251,  253. 


Neues      Testament      (Basel, 
97- 


INDEX. 

New,  Edmund  H.,  201,  203, 
207. 

Newill,  Mary,  207,  215. 

Newminster,  Charter  of  Foun- 
dation of,  MS.  14. 

Niccolo  di  Lorenza,  119. 

Nicholson,  W.,  228. 

Northcote's  Fables,  145. 

Nursery  Rhymes  (Bell,  1894: 
Allen,  1896),  227,  263,  265. 

Omar  Khayyam,  166. 
"Once  a  Week,"   169,    172, 

I75».i77- 

Ongania,  Ferd.,  269. 
Otmar,  Johann,  145,  147. 
Ottaviano  dei  Petrucci,  77. 

Paganini,  Alex.,  121. 
Palmer,  Samuel,  140. 
Papstthum  mit  sienen  Gliedern 

(Nuremberg,  1526),  113. 
Paris  et  Vienne,  1495,  51- 
Parsons,  Alfred,  166. 
Payne,  Henry,  207,  209. 
Peard's   Stories  for    Children 

(Allen,  1896),  167,  170. 
Pennell,    Joseph,    165,    185, 

221. 

Petri,  Adam,  91,  107. 
Pfister,  Albrecht,  3,  53. 
Philip  le  Noir,  108. 
Philippe  de  Comines^  Epistle  of, 

MS.,  23. 
Photography,  influence  of,  174, 

178. 

Pierre  le  Rouge,  37. 
Pigouchet,  54. 
Pletsch,  Oscar,  174. 
Pliny's       Natural       History 

(Frankfort,  1582),  103. 


339 


INDEX. 

Plutarchus  Chseroneus  (1513), 
87;  (1523),  89. 

Poliphili  Hypnerotomachia 
(1499),  62,  63,  65,  293. 

,  French  Edition,  79. 

Pollard,  A.  W.,  Early  Illus- 
trated Books,  185. 

Pomerium  de  Tempore  (Augs- 
burg, 1502),  147. 

Pomponious  Mela,    293,  297. 

Poynter,  E.  J.,  152. 

Pre-Raphaelites,  The,  150. 

Princess  Fiorimonde,  Necklace 
of  (Macmillan,  1880),  174, 
181. 

Printers'  Marks,  96. 

Psalters,  MSS.,  16,  20,  24. 

Psalter  (Mainz,  145  7),  50,  51. 

**  Punch,"  170,  172. 

Pyle,  Howard,  271,  273,  274. 

Quadrupeds,     History     of 

(Zurich,  1554),  120. 
Quarles'  Emblems,  115,  116. 
" Quarto,"  The,  226. 
Quatriregio,  71. 
Queen  Mary's  Psalter,  MS.,  20. 
Quentel,  Heinrich,  21. 
"  Quest,"  The,  203. 
Quintilian  (Venice,  1512),  75. 

Ratdolt,  Erhardt,  35,  297. 
Reformation     der    bayrischen 

Landrecht  (Munich,   1518), 

116. 

Renaissance,  The,  61. 
Rene  of  Anjou,  Book  of  Hours 

of,  38. 

Rethel,  Alfred,  172. 
Ricketts,    C.    S.,    218,     219, 

223. 
Rijsselberghe,  M.,  254,  266. 


Robinson,  Charles,  222,  224, 

235)  237,  239. 
Rogers'  Poems,  136,  146. 

Italy,  136,  146. 

Romance  of  the  Rose,  MS.,  29, 

43- 

Rossetti,  Christina,  152. 
Rossetti,  D.  G.,  150,  153. 
Ry lands,  Henry,  173. 

Sambourne,  Linley,  170. 
Sandys,  Frederick,  172,  175. 
Sartor  Resartus  (Bell,  1898), 

228. 

Sattler,  Josef,  265. 
Savage,  Reginald,  218. 
"Savoy,"  The,  221. 
Schoffer,  P.,  41,  49,  50. 
Schiirer,  Mathias,  in. 
Schwind,  M.,  172. 
"  Scottish  Art  Review,"  The, 

187. 

Seitz,  Professor  A.,  265. 
Shannon,  C.  H.,  218,  224. 
Siena,    Choir   Books    of,    30, 

43»  45- 
Sirens  Three,  The  (Macmillan, 

1886),  183. 
Sleigh,  Bernard,  207. 
Smith,  Winifred,  207. 
Songs  of  Innocence  (1789),  137. 
Speculum   Humancz     Vita 

(Augsburg,  1475),  T7- 
Spence,  R.,  224,  247. 
Spenser 's  Faerie  Queene  (Allen, 

1896),  269,  281,  283,   285, 

288,  294. 
Spiegel     onser     Behoudenisse 

(Kuilenburg,  1483),  25. 
Steyner,  Heinrich,  87. 
Stothard,  Thomas,  136,  146. 
Strang,  William,  226,  251, 253. 


340 


Strange,  E.  F.,  Alphabets,  185, 

300. 

Stiick,  Franz,  265. 
"  Studio,"  The,  221. 
Sullivan,  E.  J.,  227,  228. 
Sumner,  Heywood,  166,  167, 

171. 

Tacuino,  Giov.,  73. 
Tail-pieces,  301. 
Talbot  Prayer-book,  The,  26. 
Tenison    Psalter,   The,   MS., 

16,  38. 

Tenniel,  Sir  John,  150. 
Tennyson's    Poems    (Moxon, 

1857),  i5<>>  151- 
Terence,  Eunuchus,   German 

translation     (Ulm,     1486), 

27. 
Thomas,  F.  Inigo,  204,  205, 

207. 
Title    Page,   development  of 

the,  80. 

Tory,  Geoffrey,  126. 
Tournament     of    Love,     The 

(Paris,  1894),  249. 
Treperel,  Jehan,  51. 
Triumphs  of  Maximilian,  The, 

95- 

Tuppo's  ^Esop,  1485,  55. 


INDEX. 

Tuppo's  ^Esop,  1485,  55. 
Turner,  J.  M.  W.,  146. 
Type  as  affecting  design,  267, 
280,  294. 

Vedder,  Elihu,  166. 
Veldener,  Jan,  25. 
Ver  Sacrum,  266. 
Verard,  54. 
Virgil  Solis,  131. 

Wachtlin,  Hans,  96,  in. 

Walton's     "Angler"    (Lane, 

1896),  204. 
Wandereisen,  Hans,  113. 

Weiss  Kbnig,  Der  (1512-14), 

95»  99? 

White,  Gleeson,  a*i. 
Wilson,  Patten,  221,  229. 
Witney's  Emblems,  116. 
Wood-Engraving,   Masters  of 

(1889),  149. 
Woodroffe,   Paul,    227,    263, 

265. 
Woodward,  Alice  B.,  227. 

Zainer,  Johann,  7,  n. 
Giinther,  17. 


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